edit NOTE: Twenty years after the prime of men’s tennis, Roger Federer announces his retirement from the sport – a warm goodbye
IN PUBLIC LIFE , as in tennis, losses come in groups. Like most people with links to the UK, I have been feeling the passing of Queen Elizabeth II over the past few days, who reigned for so long in my memory. For much of this summer, I have been mourning the loss of Queen Serena Williams in another sense: She and her sister Venus have broken barriers, raised The standard not only expands the soul of women’s tennis, but also expands the soul of women’s tennis. Heart.
My own heart skipped a beat when my friend and hero Roger Federer told me he was also going to retire from professional tennis. Knowing that I’ll never have the thrill of turning on the TV again – or rushing to London, Paris, Melbourne, all the places I’ve watched Roger play – and seeing him do the impossible makes me feel sad. But also deeply grateful for everything he has given us on and off the field over the years. There is no player more worthy of retirement, or the absence of a player on the court that we feel more profoundly.
Like many people, I first learned about Roger when he was a long-haired teenager in Houston 350 Tennis Masters Cup. You could say he’s special. Has that incredible speed. There are unreal works that are close to the Internet. He somehow made it all look very simple. But just as important, he displayed a kindness and grace — even dignity — in his demeanor on and off the court. It turns out that Federer fans are different from regular sports fans. They didn’t just swarm; they came towards him, and I think his sense of decency had a lot to do with that. But then, speaking with my own biases, I thought: By then, I myself had become an avid Federer fan.
