On Thursday, September 15, 2022, the tennis and sporting world was sent into shock or sadness- because it is sad news- after the game's biggest star Roger Federer announced his retirement from professional tennis.
The 41-year-old revealed the Laver Cup, which starts next week, will be his final tournament on the tour.
Federer made the announcement in a letter, which he voiced in audio posted across all his social media platforms.
Federer lives Tennis, but his impact will live forever
While retirement has been looming for some time due to his injuries, there was still a feeling of sadness and shock when he dropped the bombshell.
However, he was also celebrated for what he did for tennis. He is the game's first star to transcend the sport, making tennis a sport enjoyable to watch worldwide.
Federer was larger than life, yet he was graceful and respectful to everyone. Since he announced his decision, the Swiss great has received tributes from athletes, journalists, peers, fans and businessmen, which is a testament to his greatness.
In all of these, Federer also set many records- some of which have been broken- in his prime. Pulse Sports Nigeria takes a look at 41 of these records-in honour of the age he is retiring.
41 remarkable stats that set Federer apart
41- In his prime- 2004-2008- Federer was largely unstoppable, winning 41 straight matches between 2006-2007.
40- The number of ATP awards Federer, including 19 fan-favourite awards.
39- Federer's age when he became the oldest player in the open era to reach the quarter-final of Wimbledon.
38- The age Federer won his tenth title at Basel, making him the oldest champion in the competition's history.
37- The age Federer became the oldest champion in Miami Open history
36- Oldest player to hold the number one ranking after winning the title at the ABN AMRO Open.
35- Oldest men's player to win Wimbledon in 2017.
34- His age when he won his seventh title at Cincinnati Masters- the most in the event history.
33- He won 103 career titles, only second behind Jimmy Connors (109)
32- He won 1,251 matches- second in the open era behind Jimmy Connors (1,274)
31- Number of Grand Slam semifinals he reached- only second behind Novak Djokovic (32)
30- Oldest Champion in World Tour Finals history
29- He has the most wins in Grand Slam singles (369)
28- Most wins at ABN AMRO Open (28)
27- Most wins at Qatar Open (27)
26- From June 2004 to August 2006, Federer won at least 1 set in 194 straight matches.
25- Between June 2004 to August 2006, Federer won 25 titles, including six grand slam titles.
24- He won 24 consecutive matches in games against the top 10 between 2003-2005
23- He won 24 straight finals between 2003-2005
22- The age he became World Number one for the first time.
21- The age he won his first Grand Slam title and Wimbledon, beating Australia's Mark Philippoussis 7-6(5), 6-2, 7-6(3) in straight sets.
20- The number of Grand Slam titles he won, only third behind Rafael Nadal (20) and Novak Djokovic (21).
19- The age Federer won the first of his 103 singles titles on an indoor hard court in Milan, Italy, beating Julien Boutter 6-4, 6-7 (7), 6-4.
18- Federer is the only male player to be seeded No. 1 for 18 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments from the 2004 French Open to 2008 Wimbledon.
17- The number of times Federer qualified for the ATP tour finals- a record 17 times.
16- Between 2004-2007, Federer won 11 grand slams out of a possible 16.
15- He won his 15th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon.
14- The age difference between the first time (22) he became number one and the last time he was number one (36).
13- He won $130 million in prize money alone.
12- Federer was 12–2 in his first 12 Grand Slam finals (2003 Wimbledon to 2007 US Open), losing only in the 2006 and 2007 French Open finals.
11- He is the only player with at least 11 titles on three different surfaces (clay, grass and hard).
10- The number of titles he won at Basel and Halle.
9- Federer won his first and only French Open title in 2009.
8- Federer holds the record for most men's singles titles at Wimbledon (8)
7- He also holds the record for most titles at Cincinnati Masters.
6- Federer has six ATP finals titles, more than any other player.
5- He is the only player in the Open Era to win five consecutive US Open titles.
4- He is the only player to win the Wimbledon and US Open in four consecutive years
3- Federer reached all Grand Slam Finals in one season, three times in his career.
2- He spent a total of 310 weeks as the top tennis player in the world- only second behind Novak Djokovic (373)
1- While he is second in weeks spent as the number-one ranked player, Federer holds the record for consecutive weeks spent as the number-one player in the world (237 weeks)
0- Federer never retired from a match in his career. He retires with a record of 1,251-275 in singles (1,526 matches) and 131-92 in doubles (223 matches).