Roger Federer only played one match in 2022. It was a significant year for him. The year when he decided to give up playing tennis. Even though his followers and others around him were aware that his retirement was imminent, they did not anticipate this happening so suddenly. In a similar vein, Ivan Ljubicic, his coach, was also among the ones who didn’t really expect the retirement news.

The 44-year-old former tennis player, 10 months after Federer’s retirement, recalled the heartbreaking moment when he received a sudden retirement call. While both of them have seen a lot of ups and downs together on the tennis court, Federer’s retirement call is something that Ljubicic will never forget.

Ivan Ljubicic recalls the retirement phone call conversation with Roger Federer

When the 41-year-old Swiss tennis legend announced his retirement, the entire world sobbed with teary eyes. And before he announced his retirement to the world, the Swiss ace shared this news with all his friends, who have been with him throughout his tennis journey. He also called his present coach at the time of his retirement and cleared the air with the suddenness of the move.

Recently, the 44-year-old tennis coach, in an interview with Tennis Majors, talked about the moment when Federer made up his mind regarding his tennis retirement. He said, “It was a phone call. But it didn’t come out of the blue. It was some time that we he’d had kind of doubts if he ever will come back. But it was silence. I didn’t know what to say, honestly. It’s hard to… I felt his pain.” 

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Further, he also talked about how the phone call was not easy for him. However, it was the former world number one who needed more comfort at that moment than him. Nevertheless, he also hinted that somewhere down the line they knew that it was bound to happen, so it didn’t come as a surprise.

Not only that but last year, he also made a statement regarding the 20-time Grand Slam champion’s future after stepping down as a tennis player.

Ljubicic’s prediction regarding Federer’s future after retirement 

While there were a lot of speculations regarding the 41-year-old Swiss tennis legend’s retirement plans. In an interview with Eurosport, the Swiss ace’s coach talked about how the former world number one was not going anywhere after his retirement. Even though he might not play any competitive matches, that doesn’t mean that he will not stay connected to the sport.

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And it’s been a year since the heartbreaking moment took place; tennis fans have missed Federer on the court. But his appearance now and then at various sporting events has made his coach’s prediction come true. Nevertheless, even before his retirement, he was off the tennis circuit for almost a year. But his retirement day was something that the whole tennis arena can never forget.