Roger Federer crashed out of Wimbledon in the quarter-finals at the hands of Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz on Wednesday, but insisted he will not be rushed into retirement even with his 40th birthday just a month away.
It was only the eight-time Wimbledon champion’s 14th defeat at the tournament in 119 matches and his first straight-sets loss since an opening round exit against Mario Ancic in 2002. It was also the first time he had lost a set 6-0 at Wimbledon and just the third time at a Slam.
I don’t know. I really don’t know. I’ve got to regroup, said Federer when asked if his Wimbledon career was over. “With everything that comes after Wimbledon, we were always going to sit down and talk about it because clearly now Wimbledon is over. I got to take a few days. Just see, Okay, what do I need to do to get in better shape so I can be more competitive.”
Federer is now without a Slam since the 2018 Australian Open but he had two match points to beat Novak Djokovic in the epic 2019 Wimbledon final. Federer had only played eight matches this year before Wimbledon as he recovered from two knee surgeries in 2020. All said, if he plays again or not, his achievements will speak for himself. He dominated tennis for long. Class is permanent. A true champ.