"Keep talking like this, I will never come back" - Roger Federer on being irked by constant questions about his retirement

Roger Federer recently talked about being frustrated with the persistent inquiries about his retirement. Federer had called time on his professional tennis career in 2022.

Throughout his career, Federer achieved numerous accolades, including winning 20 Grand Slam singles titles. Among these are six Australian Open, one French Open, eight Wimbledon, and five US Open titles. He also held the World No. 1 ranking and earned two Olympic medals - a gold medal in doubles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics with Stan Wawrinka, and a silver medal in singles at the 2012 London Olympics.

The former World No. 1 played his final professional match at the 2022 Laver Cup, a doubles match, where he teamed up with Rafael Nadal to represent Team Europe. Despite their efforts against Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock of Team World, they narrowly missed out on a win.

Currently, Roger Federer is in Berlin for the 2024 Laver Cup. During a press conference before the tournament, he discussed his retirement and his return to the tennis scene as a spectator.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion expressed his joy at attending tournaments post-retirement, relishing the opportunity to revisit familiar venues and immerse himself in the tennis atmosphere.

The Swiss expressed that he is grateful for feeling welcomed at these events.

"I'm happy I went back right away to some tournaments. I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there. I don't feel like an alien, which is a good thing because you can feel like that very quickly," he said [via Barron's].

However, Roger Federer admitted his annoyance with the persistent questioning from players and others about his presence at tournaments after retiring. He expressed his frustration, hinting that the inquiries might deter him from attending future events.

"People (and) players ask you 'what are you doing here?' and you're like 'exactly -- if you keep talking like this, I will never come back'," he added.

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Roger Federer on his retirement: “I’m really relieved, you could feel the end coming closer”

Roger Federer [Source: Getty]

Earlier this year, while speaking to GQ, Roger Federer had talked about his retirement. He said that he felt a sense of relief after playing his last match at the 2022 Laver Cup alongside Rafael Nadal.

The Swiss acknowledged that before the final match, he could sense that his playing career was coming to an end.

“I’m really relieved, if that makes any sense. You could feel the end coming closer. So when it’s all said and done and you’re over the line and you’re retired officially, you take a deep breath and you’re like, “Wow, okay, that was good”,” he said.

Federer said he knew that retirement would be a challenging transition, and that the moments following his final match were emotional.

“I knew it was going to be hard. The moment of retirement in London, everything that led up to it... It’s super highly emotional. Something that has always been with you is gone and will be forever gone, and you cannot have it back as much as you want it back. The train has left the station. And that’s okay, and I want it to be that way,” he added.