The Vaslav Nijinsky of the tennis court, the one who brought back the fluidity and perfection of the one-handed backhand, the male tennis player of the modern era who first amassed twenty Grand Slam titles, and made the hallowed courts of Wimbledon his second home - he has eight Wimbledon titles, followed by his six Australian Open, five US Open, and one French Open crowns. Roger Federer transcended the game of tennis.

Roger Federer was the best thing to come out of Switzerland since high-precision watches and premium chocolates, enjoying global stature and recognition that made the Matterhorn look like a molehill. He was ranked the world’s No. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals for 310 weeks, including a record consecutive 237 weeks; and has won 103 ATP titles, the second most of all time. He has even outlived and survived his disastrous early career look of styling his long hair Samurai-style, or with a ponytail. I recall seeing him back then, when he snagged his first Wimbledon in 2003, and thinking that look has got to go. And thankfully, it did by 2005; getting shorter and more stylish as the years passed.

At the age of 41, tennis great Roger Federer has announced his retirement, and while the world of tennis will survive and even prosper, it’s also gotten dimmer, and will lose one of its main attractions of the last two decades. Tennis, and almost any sport, is built on skill, talent and competition - and for the last twenty years, Roger, Rafa Nadal, and Novak Djokovic have made all other tennis pros look like mere mortals. Collectively, this triumvirate was the benchmark, the pantheon and standard; by which all other players would be measured and judged as ‘not good enough’.

For me, Roger was always the more cerebral of the three, the one who approached each match like a chess grandmaster, seeking the chinks in the armor of his opponent, knowing when to cut down the angles, advance to the net, and put the ball out of reach with a volley. And always, even when the ball seemed beyond his reach, there was the picture-worthy backhand that would defy physics and trigonometry.

Early in his career, Rafa was more about brute strength, and his punishing topspin ground stokes; while Novak was about numbing consistency, and machine-like dominance. While the games of the two evolved through the years, it was always Roger who brought artistry and finesse to the court. Watching Roger was like understanding what ‘poetry in motion’ could mean, as contextualized in a physical endeavor.

Speaking of poetry, there’s some kismet in the fact that Roger arrived in London a few days ago to participate in the Laver Cup. He’s one of the Cup’s founders, and has led Team Europe in three out of the four editions. To be held September 23 to 25 at the O2 Arena, it’s England hosting this year's Laver Cup, home to nearby Wimbledon. While there’s no guarantee that Roger will play a match, he’s in a Team Europe that includes Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray - possibly the last time we’ll see these four in one tournament.

For the last three years, a knee injury has kept Federer from playing tournaments. He’s only played in six tournaments since the start of 2020, undergoing three surgeries in the hope of taking the pain away, and allowing him to extend his storied career. Unfortunately, putting a cap to his playing days injury-free just doesn’t seem to be in the cards, and so we bid adieu to a tennis player who has helped define the sport, and brought it to unimagined heights of popularity and acclaim.

To use excerpts from Roger’s official statement, “I also know my body’s capacities and limits, and it’s message to me lately has been clear. I’m 41 years old. I have played more than 1,500 matches over 24 years. Tennis has treated me more generously than I ever would have dreamt, and now I must recognize when it is time to end my competitive career.... the Laver Cup will be my final ATP event. I will play more tennis in the future, of course, but just not in Grand Slams or on the tour.”

While admittedly, there was a blandness to his personality, he was such a ‘nice guy’, always composed and deferential, that he was so easy to like and admire. And while other tennis players possessed more fiery dispositions, and will be immortalized in video snippets and GIFs; there always will be a special shrine for Federer’s shot-making skills, his languid, composed interviews, and his wry smile and disarming humor.

Thank you, Roger Federer, it has been a real pleasure following your 24 years of tennis glory.