Speculation over Roger Federer’s retirement has been on-going for the last few years. Countless media articles have pinpointed dates with a certain significance, wondering if that would be the fitting moment for the Swiss maestro to finally put his racket away. The 2020 Olympics were often cited as a possible swansong for Federer, but, again, such dates were always based on speculation. Federer himself has been reasonably tight-lipped over retirement.
And yet, he has received some intriguing advice recently from another great of the game – Stefan Edberg. The six-time Grand Slam winner – and Federer’s former coach – has suggested that Federer should not announce any retirement plans until the last minute. The Swede himself went on a “retirement tour” for his final year in 1996. And, while he says that some of it was enjoyable, he claims it distracted his focus.
Difficult for the greats to say goodbye
The sporting farewell is a strange phenomenon. If the sports star is of big enough stature, a long, drawn-out retirement can sometimes overshadow other events. While the example of Edberg is an interesting comparison, a more applicable one might be found in another sport – football. When Zinedine Zidane, the great French footballer, which you can probably bet on platforms like Bitcasino, announced his retirement before the 2006 World Cup. Such was the media frenzy that surrounded the legendary player’s retirement that it almost overshadowed the fact that France had made the second World Cup Final in the country’s history. Federer, you would think, would have a similar effect at his final tournament.
Of course, we could argue that Federer has already entered a phase of semi-retirement. He carefully selects his tournaments to be fresher and better equipped to win when he does play. For instance, he has skipped four of the last five French Opens in order to be better prepared for Wimbledon. You can click here for MBet’s upcoming tennis matches to see when Federer plays again. Unfortunately, it does not look like he will make the US Open at the end of August due to knee surgery.
2021 seems likely to be Federer’s last year
The hope, then, is that Federer recovers well from that surgery and can come back with a bang in 2021. Even if he does not announce any formal retirement plans, the inevitable media speculation over 2021 being his final year will reach fever pitch regardless. There are so many angles the media can take on the story. For example, the rescheduled Olympics in Tokyo just happen to finish on Federer’s 40th birthday (8th August), so you can see why the press would pinpoint that as a focal point for the player’s retirement.
Moreover, with all due respect to Edberg, there is sometimes a sense that legends like Federer owe fans the truth. If the fans pack into Wimbledon’s Centre Court next summer, they will want to know whether the game they are watching will be Federer’s last on the grass court. Yes, Federer has given the fans a lot down the years, but it works both ways.
Indeed, the best scenario is that he can go out on a high. Perhaps that will be with an Olympic Gold Medal or yet another Wimbledon Championship. Whatever he does, though, it will be the story of that particular tournament. No single player is bigger than the sport of tennis, but Roger Federer comes pretty close. If 2021 is his final year in the sport, we should all be able to sit back and watch one of the greatest sports stars in history wrap up his career in style.
