Roger Federer, 20-time Grand Slam winner, to retire from tennis after next week's Laver Cup

Roger Federer, who became the first man to win 20 Grand Slam titles in tennis, announced Thursday that he is retiring from competition after a multi-year struggle to return from knee injuries.

Federer, 41, had hoped to come back for one final goodbye in 2023 but said that next week’s Laver Cup in London will be his final event.

"I’ve worked hard to return to full competitive form," Federer wrote in a message to fans that was posted on his Twitter account. "But I also know my body’s capacities and limits, and its message to me lately has been clear. I am 41 years old. I have played more than 1500 matches over 24 years. Tennis has treated me more generously than I ever would have dreamt, and now I must recognize when it is time to end my competitive career."

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After two knee surgeries in 2020, Federer attempted to come back last year and reached the fourth round of the French Open before withdrawing and then the quarterfinals at Wimbledon where he was easily defeated by Hubert Hurkacz 6-3, 7-6, 6-0.

Shortly after that, Federer revealed he had another setback with the knee and required a third surgery which would keep him out of training for months. Though there had been hopeful signals that Federer would play some competitive matches this fall as he prepared for 2023, word began to circulate at the recent U.S. Open that he was still having problems getting up to full speed.

The Laver Cup, a team event featuring Europe vs. the rest of the world, will be a fitting way to end Federer’s competitive career. Federer and his management team were crucial in launching the event in 2017, which has featured some memorable matchups like Federer playing doubles alongside his rival and friend Rafael Nadal.

Though Federer will not finish his career as the player with the most Grand Slam titles – Nadal has 22 and Novak Djokovic passed him with his 21st at Wimbledon this year – his popularity and impact on the sport goes beyond just numbers. Federer's mere presence packed stadiums around the globe and was ranked as the highest-paid athlete in the world as recently as 2020 by Forbes Magazine despite playing very few matches.

But Federer’s tennis career will stand the test of time as well. In addition to his 103 ATP titles, his dominance of the sport between 2003 and 2009 is almost unmatched in history. During that span, he won 15 of the 26 Grand Slams played including five straight Wimbledons and five consecutive U.S. Opens. From 2004-07, he won 315 of 339 matches.  His streak of 23 consecutive Grand Slam semifinals from 2004 Wimbledon to the 2010 Australian Open is likely to never be overtaken.

Though Federer’s success rate in the Grand Slams dipped for a period in the early 2010s, he returned to No. 1 in 2017 after beating Nadal in five sets in the Australian Open final and adding his record eighth Wimbledon title later that year. Federer’s 2018 Australian Open victory over Marin Cilic was his 20th major title and, as it turns out, his last.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Roger Federer to retire from tennis after next week's Laver Cup