MY ACCOUNT
Roger Federer will remain forever “linked” with Wimbledon following the 20-time grand slam winner’s retirement announcement, says Marion Bartoli.
The Swiss veteran confirmed this month’s Laver Cup will be his final top-tier tennis tournament on the ATP Tour, calling time one of the greatest careers in any sport.
But while fellow big-three stars Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal remain unparalleled at the Australian Open and French Open respectively, it is Federer who has made Wimbledon his defining legacy.
With eight men’s singles triumphs, the 41-year-old is closely associated with the event, and was welcomed back with a riotous reception earlier this year for a parade celebrating the centenary of Centre Court.
Bartoli, the 2013 women’s singles champion, was also at that event and she says Federer’s legacy in London will remain for decades to come, even as Djokovic creeps closer to levelling it.
“I was lucky enough to have this very special moment,” she told Stats Perform. “He was the last one to walk on the court because he won eight times there and the reception from the crowd, it was just absolutely manic.
“The whole [of] Centre Court just exploded. He [is] just so loved there. That 2019 final, where he lost to Novak having had two match points. I don’t think one person outside of Novak’s family [wanted him to lose].
“Roger and Wimbledon – [the] two are just linked together. It’s just his body. The problem is when you just can’t do it any more physically. He played more than 1,500 matches over 20-plus years. You can’t do this forever.
“There is a certain time when your body has its limits, and [this] was it for Roger. But I think no one can blame him for not trying every single time 100 per cent when he was stepping on the court.”
