Roger Federer announces retirement from tennis following Laver Cup next week

Roger Federer announced on Thursday morning that he plans to retire from tennis following next week’s Laver Cup. Federer released this statement on his Twitter account this morning:

This has been a tough month or so for the tennis community with Serena Williams also retiring from the sport after the U.S. Open. Federer also released this video on his account:

A native of Switzerland, Federer is one of the most decorated tennis stars in history. He was ranked No. 1 in the ATP for 310 weeks throughout his career, including a record 237 consecutive weeks. He won the Australian Open six times, the French Open once, Wimbledon eight times and the U.S. Open five times. His record in singles as of the announcement is 1,251-275, a career winning percentage of over 80%.

Federer also won an Olympic gold medal in doubles back in 2008 in Beijing while also winning a silver medal in singles in 2012 in London. During Federer’s prime, he reigned over the sport of tennis along with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.