He made those courts his home for two decades
Roger Federer, o suíço que transformou o ténis numa forma de arte, anunciou esta quinta-feira o fim de uma carreira de 24 anos, com a última aparição marcada para a Laver Cup em Londres. Aos 41 anos, com o joelho direito já sem condições para suportar a elite, o detentor de 20 títulos do Grand Slam despede-se numa altura em que Serena Williams também fechou o seu capítulo, sinalizando o crepúsculo de uma era dourada sem precedentes. Durante duas décadas, Federer, Nadal e Djokovic não foram apenas os melhores do mundo — foram o próprio mundo do ténis. O que se segue é uma página ainda em branco.
- A acumulação de lesões no joelho direito, que o afastaram da competição por mais de um ano, tornou inevitável o que muitos temiam: Federer não voltará a competir após a Laver Cup de setembro.
- A saída de Federer, dias depois do anúncio de Serena Williams, cria um vazio duplo no desporto mundial, abalando a identidade de um ténis que se habituou a girar em torno de figuras titânicas.
- Os números resistem ao tempo — 20 Grand Slams, 103 títulos, 237 semanas consecutivas no número um —, mas é a elegância com que os conquistou que torna a despedida ainda mais difícil de aceitar.
- Nadal e Djokovic permanecem em atividade, mas ambos lideram batalhas contra lesões, e a nova geração ainda procura a autoridade necessária para preencher o espaço deixado pelo trio que definiu duas décadas.
- O ténis entra agora numa transição sem mapa claro: pela primeira vez em vinte anos, o desporto terá de se reinventar sem a tríade que lhe deu forma, sentido e rivalidade.
Roger Federer anunciou esta quinta-feira a sua retirada do ténis profissional, encerrando uma carreira de 24 anos com a última aparição marcada para a Laver Cup em Londres, entre 23 e 25 de setembro. Aos 41 anos, o suíço cede perante as limitações físicas impostas por sucessivas cirurgias ao joelho direito, que o mantiveram afastado da competição por mais de um ano. A sua saída surge poucos dias após o anúncio semelhante de Serena Williams, e juntas as duas despedidas assinalam o fim de uma era dourada no desporto mundial.
Os números de Federer pertencem a uma categoria à parte: 20 títulos do Grand Slam, 103 vitórias em torneios, e um recorde de 237 semanas consecutivas no topo do ranking mundial, entre 2004 e 2008. Venceu Wimbledon oito vezes — mais do que qualquer outro jogador — e o Open da Austrália por sete ocasiões. O seu último Grand Slam chegou precisamente em Melbourne, em 2018. Nascido em Basileia, foi nos relvados do All England Club que encontrou a sua catedral, um palco que se adaptava à perfeição ao seu jogo preciso e elegante.
O reinado de Federer nunca foi solitário. Rafael Nadal, com 23 Grand Slams, e Novak Djokovic, com 22, formaram com o suíço um trio que dominou o ténis de forma tão absoluta que a rivalidade entre os três se tornou sinónimo do próprio desporto. Ambos continuam ativos, mas também eles enfrentam os desgastes do tempo. Fora das quadras, Federer é casado com Miroslava Vavrinec, ex-tenista com quem tem dois pares de gémeos.
Com a sua saída, o ténis entra numa era de incerteza criativa: pela primeira vez em duas décadas, o desporto terá de encontrar novos protagonistas capazes de carregar o peso de uma herança extraordinária.
Roger Federer, the Swiss maestro widely regarded as tennis's most graceful practitioner, announced his retirement on Thursday, stepping away from professional competition after 24 years on the circuit. His decision arrives just days after Serena Williams made a similar announcement, and together their departures mark a seismic shift in the sport—the beginning of the end for what many call tennis's golden age.
Federer is 41 now, and his body has been telling him it's time. Multiple surgeries on his right knee have kept him away from competition for more than a year, a stretch that made clear what the numbers already suggested: the window has closed. He will play one final tournament, the Laver Cup in London, scheduled for September 23 through 25, and then he will set down his racket for good.
The numbers alone tell part of the story. Twenty Grand Slam titles. One hundred and three tournament victories overall. A record 237 consecutive weeks ranked number one in the world, a streak that ran from 2004 through 2008. He was the oldest player ever to hold the top ranking, achieving that distinction at 36 in 2018. He won Wimbledon eight times—more than any other major—and claimed the Australian Open seven times. The American Open five times. Roland Garros just once, a fact that somehow makes the rest of his dominance seem even more improbable.
Federer was born in Basel and trained on Swiss clay, but Wimbledon became his cathedral. He first announced himself there as a junior in 1998, winning both singles and doubles. The grass courts of the All England Club suited his game perfectly: his precise, varied serve; his exemplary slice backhand; his devastating forehand. For two decades, he made those courts his home.
His reign was never solitary. Rafael Nadal, now 35 with 23 Grand Slams of his own, emerged as his great rival and occasional tormentor, particularly on clay. Novak Djokovic, holding 22 major titles, completed a triumvirate that reshaped professional tennis. These three men dominated the sport so thoroughly that their rivalry became the sport itself. Nadal and Djokovic remain active, though both have been slowed by injuries; Djokovic has also faced restrictions due to his vaccination status.
Beyond the majors, Federer won the year-end championship—the tournament of the eight best players—six times. He claimed Olympic gold in doubles at Beijing in 2008 alongside Stan Wawrinka, and silver in singles at London in 2012. The International Tennis Federation named him player of the year five times: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2009. The Laureus Awards recognized him as best athlete in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2018.
His last Grand Slam victory came in 2018 at the Australian Open—four years ago now, a lifetime in professional sport. Since then, the injuries have accumulated, the comebacks have become harder, and the younger generation has begun to assert itself. At 41, with his body worn from the demands of elite tennis, Federer has chosen to leave while he still can, rather than fade into irrelevance.
Off the court, Federer is married to Miroslava Vavrinec, a former tennis player he met at the Olympic Games. They have two sets of twin children. His departure from professional tennis marks not just the end of one man's career, but the closing of an era in which three players defined what the sport could be. What comes next remains uncertain.
Citações Notáveis
Multiple surgeries on his right knee kept him away from competition for more than a year— Federer's stated reason for retirement
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does Federer's retirement feel like more than just one player leaving?
Because for twenty years, he and Nadal and Djokovic were tennis. They didn't just win tournaments—they were the tournaments. When one of them finally steps away, it signals that the whole structure that held the sport together is beginning to shift.
He's 41 and has had multiple knee surgeries. Was this inevitable?
Inevitable, yes, but not without weight. He could have limped through a few more years, played smaller events, cashed checks. Instead he's choosing to end it at Wimbledon's sister event, on his own terms. That's a choice, not a surrender.
What made Federer different from Nadal and Djokovic, beyond the elegance everyone mentions?
His serve and his slice. Those two shots gave him a kind of spatial control the others didn't have. He could construct points in ways that looked almost like chess. But also—and this matters—he won his majors across different surfaces. Nadal owned clay. Djokovic owns hard courts. Federer won everywhere.
Is there a real end to this era, or does it just fade?
Nadal and Djokovic are still playing, both injured, both aging. So the era doesn't end cleanly. It dissolves. Federer's departure is the first domino, but it's not the last one falling.
What does tennis lose when he leaves?
A certain kind of artistry. Not the only kind—Nadal has his own artistry, so does Djokovic. But Federer made the sport look like something beautiful rather than just something competitive. That's harder to replace than you'd think.