One of the best to ever set foot on a tennis court will soon be putting his racket to bed.

Roger Federer has announced his retirement from professional tennis in a career that has seen the Swiss international claim 20 Grand Slam titles while finishing a year as the number one ranked men’s player on five separate occasions.

The 41-year-old has undergone a series of knee operations that have taken their toll on the man who has eight Wimbledon titles to his name.

Along the way, he was part of a golden era in men’s tennis with the rivalry he shared with Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, the only two players to have more Grand Slam titles than Federer.

While Federer will soon say goodbye to the competitive game, you will not see him away from a tennis court for good as he says he intends to continue playing but not the Grand Slam or the ATP Tour events.

In addition to his 103 wins on tour, Federer has also captured a pair of Olympic medals, losing the gold in the 2012 singles final to Andy Murray and winning gold in doubles alongside his countryman Stan Wawrinka four years earlier.

He has 1,251 victories in singles matches, second only to Jimmy Connors in the Open Era, which began in 1968, while Federer also became the oldest top-ranked player in ATP rankings history when he claimed the #1 position once again in 2018.

The man who grew up in Basel is one of only eight men’s players to capture all four Grand Slam tournaments (Wimbledon, Australian Open, US Open, French Open).

His final competitive tournament will be next weekend as he travels to London for the Laver Cup, September 23-25.