"Maybe he should have let it go a little earlier" says Michael Stich on career of Roger Federer citing own decision to retire at 28

Former tennis player Michael Stich has suggested that Roger Federer should have retired from the sport "a little earlier" than he did.

Swiss tennis legend Federer had a hugely successful career, winning 20 Grand Slam titles, which was a record number in men's singles at the time. This included eight Wimbledon titles, six Australian Open victories, five at the US Open, and the 2009 French Open title. He also has 103 ATP titles to his name and spent a total of 310 weeks as World No. 1 in the ATP Ranking.

After years of success in the sport, Federer decided to retire in September 2022 at the age of 41, playing his final matches at the Laver Cup in London. His last Grand Slam victory was in 2018, and in January of 2022, Rafael Nadal won his 21st major title. Following this, Novak Djokovic surpassed both players to equal Margaret Court's overall singles record of 24 Grand Slam titles with his win at the 2023 US Open.

In a recent interview, 1991 Wimbledon champion and 1992 Olympic gold medalist Michael Stich reflected on his retirement from the sport at 28 years old and proposed that Federer should have also quit earlier in his career than he did.

"I'm glad I quit at 28. It must also be said that the decision was completely spontaneous after losing the semi-final against Cédric Pioline at Wimbledon in 1997. It was my decision and I had to live with it. That's why the reaction from those around me wasn't that important to me at first.

"Apart from that, I still think that there is no perfect time to end your career anyway. Look at Roger Federer: With the knowledge we have today, from the outside, maybe he should have let it go a little earlier. But in the end it was his decision and if he feels comfortable with the final years of his career, that's still okay."

Despite leaving the sport before 30, the retired German player has still been involved in tennis over the years, taking on the role of Germany's Davis Cup team captain and tournament director at the Hamburg European Open for several years. When asked if he would be a part of German tennis in the future, the 55-year-old did not rule it out: "I'm generally not one to rule anything out. I will always be willing to give back to my sport when asked."

Meanwhile, Federer has been enjoying life post-retirement and has made it clear that he has no plans to return to the sport on a professional level: "At the end I was relieved, I think, and happy to retire. It ended in the most perfect way at the Laver Cup," he said in August.