"Lot of people supported me because of my character, that was a bit of an unexpected twist to the story" - Roger Federer reflects on reactions to his retirement

Roger Federer's retirement announcement was always expected to be a pivotal moment in the sport's history, with many suggesting tennis would never be the same after the Swiss legend's retirement. However, Federer himself was quite overwhelmed to see the kind of response he received after announcing his decision a few weeks ago.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion was particularly glad that most of the tributes to him focused on his legacy as a person more than that as a tennis player. He expected most of the talk to be about stats, numbers, and his achievements on tour over the years, but was pleasantly surprised by the "unexpected twist to the story."

During a recent interview with the ATP Tour, Federer opened up about the messages he received after the eventual announcement, from fans to colleagues and fellow celebrities.

"It's been overwhelming to be quite honest, how many nice things have been written about me, a lot of them about my personality and about me as a person," Roger Federer said. "Less almost as me as the tennis player, about my forehand or whatever you want to call it."

The Swiss legend stated that the response comfortably exceeded his expectations and he feels content at the end of it all.

"That's been a wonderful surprise to me that a lot of people looked or supported me because of maybe my character. That was a bit of an unexpected twist to the story. I thought they were gonna talk about his achievements, his accomplishments, what he meant to the game, and that's it. But it was much more than that. It totally over-exceeded my expectations," the 41-year-old added.

He also admitted to feeling a lot of relief upon making the announcement after a long period of uncertainty and deliberation.

"It's been a busy period. I feel like I had knots in my tummy for a long time now, so I'm happy that finally, the news is out," he said further.

---

We don't have to worry about the future of tennis on either side, men and women: Roger Federer

Laver Cup 2022 - Day One

Roger Federer expressed a high level of optimism about the future of tennis. The Swiss great explained how many believed that tennis would struggle after the likes of Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi retired, before the likes of himself, Andy Roddick, Juan Carlos Ferrero, and Lleyton Hewitt came along. Similarly, the sport will always have future superstars ready as one era ends, believes Federer.

He further stated that he is confident about the future of tennis, both on the men's and women's sides.

"The game always creates new superstars and creates great stories. For me, I never worried about the game," the eight-time Wimbledon champion said.

"For me to now look at the future, I know it's incredibly bright and we don't have to worry about it on either side, men and women. I think it's going to be great and I will be following closely, ofcourse," he added.

Federer played his final career match at the Laver Cup two weeks ago, a doubles contest with Rafael Nadal as his partner. While he will not compete on tour in the future, he confirmed his intention to participate in exhibition matches from time to time.