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“It’s an Uphill Battle”: Andy Roddick Feels Roger Federer Is Near the End of His Career

Published 08/17/2021, 7:34 AM EDT

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Swiss Tennis star Roger Federer has been having a rough time the past couple of seasons. The Tennis ace has been forced to undergo two knee surgeries, which have kept him on the sidelines for a lengthy duration. He recently revealed on social media that he would soon be undergoing a third surgery on his knee.

Former World No. 1 Andy Roddick spoke about this recent development. He felt that the 20-time champion wasn’t moving well during the Wimbledon Championships this season where he exited in the quarter-finals. He also mentioned that Federer should get to leave the game on his own terms. 

via Reuters

The former US Open champion stated, “It feels inevitable at this point. He was coming back from his two knee surgeries, he wasn’t moving well. Maybe, he’s a shadow of what we know Roger. To have him come back even he knows it’s an uphill battle. I personally hope he gets to come out and at least leave on his own terms. I don’t care if he’s not good as he once was, that’s unimportant to me at this point. What’s important is that he gets to have the goodbye he wants.”

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Andy Roddick feels Roger Federer should call the shots 

Roddick also mentioned Federer’s professionalism, particularly the fact he has never retired from a match midway. It’s acceptable to him that Roger isn’t the same player he once was but felt he has earned to right to call it a day on his own terms. 

via Reuters

The 38-year-old further added, “If he wants to say goodbye to fans at a tournament then he should be able to do that. We need to be patient. It’s horrible to see the icons of the game because their bodies go out. The guy has got to 40 and his body has been amazing. One of the most amazing stats in sports history is that he’s never retired from a match.”

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Federer has decided to opt for another knee surgery and added that he would be away from the courts for many months. In fact, he will be on crutches for the initial weeks after his surgery. We wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him on the courts soon. 

Watch this story: How Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, and Others Travel

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Written by:

Rohan Kollare

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Rohan Kollare is a tennis author for EssentiallySports. Rohan has a post-graduate diploma in Sports Management and a trophy cabinet adorned with accolades won in district and state-level tennis competitions. He has previously worked in Content Operations for Disney’s Hotstar for over a year, covering tennis and Formula One.
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