Ljubicic believes Federer would still be playing and top five without injury: "There was no way for him to make a choice to stop"
ATPSaturday, 29 July 2023 at 08:00
Former world number three Croatia’s Ivan Ljubicic believes that
Switzerland’s legendary player Roger Federer would have never stopped playing
tennis if his body would’ve permitted it.
The 41-year-old announced an emotional retirement on September
15 2022 in an audio message posted on his officials Twitter account.
That decision was largely taken because Federer suffered
multiple injuries in the recent past and found it hard to recover from them
because of being on the wrong side of the age.
Ljubicic, who was also the coach of the former world number
one, stated that he never had the option to quit tennis but his body just gave
up.
“His fitness would go down with time,” he said. “But his
genius would keep him top whatever, top-five. The only way he’d stop was if the
body couldn’t carry on. He loves it so much, there was no way for him to make a
choice to stop.”
Federer remains one of the most successful players in the history
of men’s singles tennis in the Open era, having won as many as 20 Grand Slam
titles.
He became the first men’s player ever to win more than 15
Grand Slam titles and was also the first to reach 20 major titles.
His first major victory was winning the Wimbledon back in
2003 after beating Australia’s Mark Philippoussis in the final in straight sets
with a score of 7–6(7–5), 6–2, 7–6(7–3).
His last big victory was in the year 2018 when he defeated
Croatia’s Marin Cilic in the final of the Australian Open in Melbourne in a
five-set thriller with a score of 6–2, 6–7(5–7), 6–3, 3–6, 6–1.
Federer also holds the record for the most Wimbledon men’s
singles titles. He won the competition eight times and till now is only the
player to achieve that feat.
Azeem Siddiqui is a seasoned sports journalist and data analyst with a strong background in both digital media and live sports production.
He began his journalism career working with partners of The New York Times and has since contributed to several leading international sports publications, including Fox Sports Asia, Calciomercato, and GiveMeSport. Since 2023, Azeem has been part of the TennisUpToDate team, where he has played a key role in sustaining the platform’s growth and ensuring tennis fans receive timely and reliable coverage of the sport’s biggest stories.
In addition to his editorial work, Azeem has extensive experience as a data analyst in live sports broadcasting—particularly in cricket—where he combines analytical precision with creative storytelling. He has collaborated with multiple production companies and cricket boards worldwide, delivering real-time insights and data-driven narratives during live match coverage.
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