"Greatest of all time": World reacts as Roger Federer announces retirement from competitive tennis

Fans and fellow tennis players reacted with sadness after 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer announced on Instagram on Thursday that he would be retiring from competitive tennis following next week's Laver Cup.

The tennis star said that at 41 years old, he had played more than 1,500 matches over 24 years, but lately his body's message to him has been clear following injuries and surgeries over the past three years.

"I was given a special talent to play tennis and I did it at a level that I never imagined, for much longer than I ever thought possible," he said in the audio message published Thursday.

In the aftermath of the announcement, French player Richard Gasquet calling Federer a legend, adding it was a "tough loss for tennis." David King, a fan from the U.S., called Federer the "greatest player of all time," considering him the "(Michael) Jordan of tennis."

Federer has not played on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour since the summer of 2021, when he had surgery on his right knee.

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