Federer on Retirement Talk: You never know what future holds

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Federer on Retirement Talk: You never know what future holds

In the waning moments of Roger Federer’s acceptance speech after he won the Australian Open and his 18th Grand Slam title on Sunday evening, he seemed to hint that there was a chance that could be his last Australian Open.

Or rather, he seemed to hint that there is a possibility that he may not return, despite the fact that he wants to. Words can be tricky to interpret, even when spoken by the maestro linguist in one of his many fluent languages. Anyhow, nobody could deny that the following words came off a little strange. “Of course I hope to see you next year,” Federer said, before he quickly added: “If not this was a wonderful run and I can’t be more happy than to have won tonight.”

Naturally, Federer fielded questions about his words during press. Because we media types like to keep a running tab on where Federer’s head is at with regard to retirement. We’ll run them here verbatim:

Q. We know you've been asked about retirement for about 10 years now.
ROGER FEDERER: Seven.

Q. Your comment on the court where you said, If I'm back next year, it does invite some comment on that. How much should we read into what you said there?
ROGER FEDERER: I mean, this is all about, you know, knowing that I have only so much tennis left in me. If I do get injured, you know, maybe if I miss next year. Who knows what happens.

So it was just a way... You never know when your next Grand Slam is going to be, if ever. You never know if you're going to have an opportunity at this stage, I felt I could thank so many people at once. It's a live audience. It's a moment for me to be appreciative of them.

Yeah, I mean, look, I've had a tough year last year. Three five-setters are not going to help. I just meant it the way I meant it. There wasn't something planned behind it, that this is my last Australian Open. I hope can I come back, of course. That's my hope right now.

Our Take:

Well, we know that Federer is no spring chicken, but what we don’t know is how he will approach his quest for more Grand Slam titles now that he has added the elusive 18th crown to his legacy. Will he be hungry to go for it at Wimbledon, if his health permits?

Does Federer feel differently about retirement now that he has won another major, or will he approach his career the same as if he had been defeated by Tomas Berdych in the third round in Australia?

On one hand, he has proven that he can play at the highest level at 35. He won three five-setters in a single major for the first time in his career, in fact it was the first time he had ever even played three five-setters at the same major, so clearly his body is better than expected. But now that Federer has proven that he can win majors at his age, and ended the nearly five-year wait for his 18th major title, how will he approach the next few months and years that will take him to retirement?

It sounds like he’s saying he’d like to continue playing for another few (two?) years, but he’s very open to changing the plan if something—say injuries, or a desire to go out at or close to the top—kicks in. It will be interesting to see how Federer performs this spring and summer, and what events he chooses to play as he marches down the road to Wimbledon, which seems to be his biggest target at the moment.

Other than that, we don’t really know where this wild ride will end, and it sounds like Federer doesn’t either. All we can really do is read the tea leaves and search for clues.

Federer is so in touch with his fans and with his global reach that it’s very difficult for us to imagine him pulling the plug without announcing some sort of farewell tour. Maybe after Wimbledon he’ll say that 2018 will be his last season, and he’ll play as much as he can with little to no expectations other than saying thank you to the millions who have passionately followed him.

Either way that time is getting near. Federer’s title, as amazing as it was, probably puts us closer to the end of his career than we were three weeks ago. He’s done everything that a player can do in this game, and he’s solidified his status as the GOAT seemingly for eternity.

What’s left for him to prove?

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