Knowing When And How

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The past two years have been crazy fr every sportsman and not only due to the pandemic. Some have been struggling with injuries, while others with maintaining the level they were at before the pandemic kicked in.

We have two legends in the tennis world, that are in the same, or should I say similar situation, one of which is the Swiss legend, Roger Federer. If you're a tennis fan, then I don't have to introduce him to you.

He has won 20 Grand Slam men's singles titles, an all-time record shared with Rafael Nadal. Federer has been world No. 1 in the ATP rankings a total of 310 weeks – including a record 237 consecutive weeks – and has finished as the year-end No. 1 five times. Federer has won 103 ATP singles titles, the second-most of all-time behind Jimmy Connors and including a record six ATP Finals. source

Last year, when the pandemic started and all the tournaments were cancelled, came the news that Federer is going to undergo surgery. At that time I thought he's using the downtime to get healthy, which was the best option at that time.

Competitions started mid summer and the Swiss missed the whole season, focusing on his recovery. It was a smart decision, health is the most important thing.

Federer came back this year, on 10 March, he participated in the ATP Tour at the Qatar Open for the first time, skipping Australian open due to strict quarantine measures. He won against Dan Evans and lost his second match to Nikoloz Basilashvili in the quarter-finals. No matter how you look at it, that was an excellent performance from someone who had two surgeries and skipped one whole year, not to mention his age. Beating Dan Evans itself is a huge success as the Brit is unstoppable this year, capable of defeating the best of the best.

His second tournament was the Geneva Open where he lost his first match to Pablo Andujar.

Despite of his return, many of us are wondering what's Federer's plan for the future. Retirement is already knocking on his door. Even if he can recover 100%, he's not going to be able to keep up with the new generation, with players half of his age. So what's his plan then?

They say one should get out at the top, a strategy to follow if you want to be remembered for the good results and not the failures.

According to some sources, the tennis legend is planning to say goodbye to the professional tennis world in a big way. I suppose he's planning to win another ATP tournament and then retire. It would be nice if he could achieve that, would be the crown on his career, but will he be able to achieve that? And when, that is a better question.

Serena Williams is the other player in the same situation, with major differences. The 23 Grand Slam champion has been struggling to win another Gland Slam title since she gave birth to her daughter. Getting to 24 Grand Slam would be important to her, to match the previous record held by the Australian Margaret Court, who's leading with 24 titles.

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Grand Slam records

If you look at the statistics above, you can understand what's been her goal and why she's fighting still. Being second best is not appealing to anyone. The second on the list won't be remembered, on;y the record holder.

However, there's a limit to everything. I admire her for trying, but she's passed the the time when she should have retired. The latest events, all the tantrums surrounding her is contributing to her being remembered for the failures the past couple of years she's been facing. She has become the example of what not to do when you're close to retiring. I truly hope this is her last year as a professional tennis player ans she can finally admit to herself that it's over for good.

Federer on the other hand is a different case. He had two attempts this year, which can be considered adjustment or training. If he will not be able to win a Grand Slam tournament this year, I suppose he's going to retire. He's a smart player and can see how hard it is for Djokovic and Nadal to keep up with the new generation. The two have been active, participating in most of the tournament and still have to fight hard to keep their ranking.

This year will be crucial for both Serena Williams and Roger Federer. One of them is going to retire at the end of the year, but I hope to see both hanging up their tennis rockets.


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