Does Federer intend to keep playing forever?

[accidental]

From everything he's said about retirement, he has indicated he'll keep playing as long as he's healthy and still playing at a high enough level to be competitive.

But what if he never declines. He's already almost 35 and still seems miles ahead of the #nextgen

what if he keeps this up for another 5 years, and is still playing at this exact same level and with no real injuries 5 years from now? or 10? or 20??

If this current young generation doesnt get much better, and Federer only marginally declines, we could see a 45 year old federer in the semi's at wimbledon 2025

45 is certainly pushing the upper limit for most professional sports, but its not unheard of.

 

[Zoolander]

Perhaps he's trying to outlive Djoko and Nadal so he can fluke his 18th?

If Djoko tore his gluteus maximus tomorrow and took the year off, Fed would be a great chance of winning a GS this year, such is the state of the tour right now
*cough weak era cough*

 

[Sysyphus]

If he can keep it going till ca 2035, transhumanism will have come such a long way that he can literally play forever.

imagine, rogr feder, winner of 7659 slams.

 

[Jonas78]

Yup. His going to outlive 2 generations of players

 

[Roddick85]

On a more serious note, I think it'd be realistic to think he'll be done next year, if I recall he signed a 2 year agreement to play those 2 German grass court tournaments last year which leads me to believe that he's taking it one year at a time. Roger hinted that he's thought about retiring before, like when he won Davis Cup at the end of 2014. The weird celebration in Cincinnati last year raised a lot of doubts. More recently, he mentioned not missing the tour much when he came back from his knee injury. Obviously, he's got less tennis ahead of him than before, but I think we should get used to the idea that he will hang the RF97A sooner rather than later. If he suffers any kind of steep decline and fails to make a slam final this year, that could definitely lead to him retiring.

 

[happyloman]

Federer kind of rhymes with forever

 

[Jonas78]

On a more serious note, I think it'd be realistic to think he'll be done next year, if I recall he signed a 2 year agreement to play those 2 German grass court tournaments last year which leads me to believe that he's taking it one year at a time. Roger hinted that he's thought about retiring before, like when he won Davis Cup at the end of 2014. The weird celebration in Cincinnati last year raised a lot of doubts. More recently, he mentioned not missing the tour much when he came back from his knee injury. Obviously, he's got less tennis ahead of him than before, but I think we should get used to the idea that he will hang the RF97A sooner rather than later. If he suffers any kind of steep decline and fails to make a slam final this year, that could definitely lead to him retiring.

When he cancelled Indian Wells, he also said "see you next year". He will continue

 

[xFedal]

He will play till 2018 or 2019, which will force Rafa to play till 2020 Lol, Murray will depart in 2021 and Novak in 2022.

 

[tennisaddict]

He has made QF, F, F, SF in last 4 majors.

When it becomes 2R, QF, 1R, 3R he will retire.

ATP and his sponsors will not let him go easily

 

[Steve0904]

The idea that he's trying to outlast Djokovic (and Nadal) might actually have some merit. Of course family comes first, but from a purely tennis perspective he can keep going as long as Djokovic is his only serious obstacle at slams (specifically Wimbledon/USO). He knows that even Djokovic can't go on forever and he knows, or at least believes that he's still second favourite at Wimbledon and perhaps the USO.

 

[Mainad]

Does Federer intend to keep playing forever?

It's not a matter of what Federer intends. Mirka is the one who will decide when he (and she) has had enough. At the moment, she hasn't yet decided what he should do with himself if he stops playing tennis.

 

[tennisaddict]

It's not a matter of what Federer intends. Mirka is the one who will decide when he (and she) has had enough. At the moment, she hasn't yet decided what he should do with himself if he stops playing tennis.

Looks like both enjoy the time on the court tha being with 4 kids. You can't blame fhem

 

[tennisaddict]

Mirka is making sure Fed stays long enough to earn enough money for the college fees of the battalion

 

[bjsnider]

What the OP says is impossible. A huge threshold is crossed at ~35 with a significant loss of quickness, speed, and endurance. I doubt even nuclear-strength roids could stave it off.

 

[tennis_pro]

He has made QF, F, F, SF in last 4 majors.

When it becomes 2R, QF, 1R, 3R he will retire.

ATP and his sponsors will not let him go easily

I see what you did there.

 

[Deanjam]

As long as he's fit and relatively competitive he'll carry on. And I don't blame him. Earning millions each year travelling the world playing tennis in front of adoring fans. You'd need to hire a team of ninjas to drag me off the tour if I were him.

 

[SpinDr.]

He should at least play until he wins another slam. Robotovic short-circuits for some reason and Fed swoops up the trophy with unmatched grace.

 

[mattosgrant]

It's not a matter of what Federer intends. Mirka is the one who will decide when he (and she) has had enough. At the moment, she hasn't yet decided what he should do with himself if he stops playing tennis.

Is she an alpha wife? My Christina is a bit of an alpha wife, so I know what that is like. I like someone who can keep me in order and keep my ego in check sometimes, haha.

 

[Lord Anomander]

Is she an alpha wife? My Christina is a bit of an alpha wife, so I know what that is like. I like someone who can keep me in order and keep my ego in check sometimes, haha.

I hear you, but there are some areas where I would not listen. And ending my career (if I had one ) would be one of them. It's none of Mirka's business to tell Roger when he has played enough. I think he is going to play as long as he is having fun on the court and relatively competitive. I think not being able to reach the quarterfinal of many tournaments would be a reason to end it for him.

 

[SoBad]

If the Rio scheme fails, I expect Federer to hang around for Tokyo 2020. He gets yet another stab at OSG, plus a chance to catch up with his illegal connections in Roppongi, Ikebukuro, and Kabukicho.

 

[90's Clay]

Crazy with the amount of money he has he can't find anything else to do with his life. Still trying to hang on to the "glory days"


He doesn't need more money. If he can't live with whats he made, has major psychological issues and should be committed. Dude needs to give it up.

 

[Krish872007]

It should be obvious, even to the most dim-witted of individuals, that this is no longer ALL about money - if you can't keep someone away from the game, they clearly love the game. Of course the dough plays a part, but even then...

 

[Pagoo]

Federer has said something about Mirka wanting him to play until the boys can understand what he does. Sorta like what he did for the girls. He has also said his health/body will determine how long he will play.

I think the fact that the younger players have failed to come into their own is also a factor.I remember Federer saying his generation forced the older players out of the game. Why should he retire when he can beat most if not all of them on a good day?

 

[Pagoo]

It should be obvious, even to the most dim-witted of individuals, that this is no longer ALL about money - if you can't keep someone away from the game, they clearly love the game. Of course the dough plays a part, but even then...

Even if Federer retired today, he would still be making millions in endorsement so...

 

[Krish872007]

Federer has said something about Mirka wanting him to play until the boys can understand what he does. Sorta like what he did for the girls. He has also said his health/body will determine how long he will play.

I think the fact that the younger players have failed to come into their own is also a factor. I remember Federer saying his generation forced the older players out of the game. Why should he retire when he can beat most if not all of them on a good day?

This x 1000.
Raonic is the only guy in the mid-20s "lost generation" who's even trying to maximise his potential, but he's still getting destroyed on occasion (2-6, 0-6 by Djokovic and Murray). Nishikori is showing some good signs, but always seems to get injured or tired.
And we've just seen Dimitrov stink up the joint in the most comical fashion in Istanbul
Only the Thiem generation (and younger) will eventually take up the top spots IMO

 

[Pagoo]

This x 1000.
Raonic is the only guy in the mid-20s "lost generation" who's even trying to maximise his potential, but he's still getting destroyed on occasion (2-6, 0-6 by Djokovic and Murray). Nishikori is showing some good signs, but always seems to get injured or tired.
And we've just seen Dimitrov stink up the joint in the most comical fashion in Istanbul
Only the Thiem generation (and younger) will eventually take up the top spots IMO

It's a joke. I think it was last year's IW when Federer kinda criticized them. He said something like "I wonder sometimes if the other guys even think of improving" I'm still scratching my head thinking where it all went wrong.

I guess we may have to accept these guys just aren't good enough. I read a Dimitrov's interview sometime last year and he seemed more interested in fashion and other stuff. What I got from the interview was that he was just marking time until he retires from tennis.

I didn't get the sense that he was ambitious or really motivated to be the best. It's a shame because he looked good at one point.

I think Nishikori has peaked, sadly. Raonic is plagued with injury. Yeah, we have to look further down for the next big thing.

 

[Rosstour]

The idea that he's trying to outlast Djokovic (and Nadal) might actually have some merit. Of course family comes first, but from a purely tennis perspective he can keep going as long as Djokovic is his only serious obstacle at slams (specifically Wimbledon/USO). He knows that even Djokovic can't go on forever and he knows, or at least believes that he's still second favourite at Wimbledon and perhaps the USO.

Might have some merit? I think it's pretty obvious that that's what he's trying to do.

A Djokovic injury or elimination at USO or Wim (or anywhere really) would have Fed in the mix to win it, as you correctly pointed out.

It's a win-win for him to keep playing. If he gets really lucky and wins another Slam or two, he puts the record further out of reach for Djokodal.

If he doesn't win another Slam because he runs into Djoker in every SF or Final, he still sets almost unreachable records in terms of total QF/SF/F appearances and redefines the age parameters for elite athletes.

When he's no longer a threat to make QFs or better, and can't consistently beat Top 10 players, he should and will retire. But that point may not come for another 4-5 years.

 

[Enga]

Tennis has the potential to be a sport for life, owing to the ability to use "craftiness" to win points and potentially matches. Draws of course would have to be really good for this prospective all lifer. This all lifer would also need absurd levels of skill with a racket, someone on the level of sayy... Federer? All joking aside though, I doubt tennis can hold his interest for much longer, even if he did magically maintain this high level.

 

[Rosstour]

If he hasn't lost interest by now, he's not going to. I'm almost exactly his age and supremely tickled by the fact that I can still keep up with younger players. I imagine that's how he feels on a much greater and historical scale...

 

[Sartorius]

Yes, Federer will keep playing forever. He'll dominate in what would then be called the "void era", where there will be no other tennis players left to play against.

 

[HipRotation]

The sheer arrogance

 

[West Coast Ace]

If the Rio scheme fails, I expect Federer to hang around for Tokyo 2020. He gets yet another stab at OSG, plus a chance to catch up with his illegal connections in Roppongi, Ikebukuro, and Kabukicho.

Funny you should mention Tokyo. Not buying your OSG/Tokyo idea but RF has said Tokyo is one of his favorite cities - but he's only played there once - 2006. Too bad the scheduling wouldn't allow him to play Tokyo then have a week off then play Shanghai.

 

[ultradr]

It depends on how much body can endure tour level competition.
Federer got to be careful with this knee injury, IMHO.
One part of body weakens and then other body part tries to compensate, which might cause another injury.

 

[cockneyDjoker]

I don't mind if he keeps playing because the longer he plays the bigger the beat down Novak will inflict on him.

 

[Deleted member 743561]

Personally, I think the transition to life outside of pro tennis is well underway for Fed. Fans and analysts seem to endlessly project a lot of their own desires for his achievements as his own... I think he's prob fairly satisfied (and a bit surprised) that he's still cleaning clocks on the tour on the eve of 35. Are there "heirs"? I definitely see more exciting talents on the horizon than I did even a few years ago. As long as there are passionate, charismatic playmakers... the sport survives.

 

[dgold44]

I believe federer could play another 3 yrs and retire at end of 2019

The man just loves playing

 

[Smasher08]

Still trying to hang on to the "glory days".

 

[Tyler-James]

 

[dgold44]

80 yr old federer would still beat many 5.0 guys lol

 

[dgold44]

Roger federer equals Michael Jordan

 

[goran_ace]

Not very many players get to retire on their own decision. He's still easily a top 4 player. If he drops to #8-#10 maybe we can talk about when he's going to retire. He's going to play as long as he feels he can compete with the best. Or as long as he can keep getting guaranteed top money on appearance fees.

 

[BeatlesFan]

He has made QF, F, F, SF in last 4 majors.

When it becomes 2R, QF, 1R, 3R he will retire.

ATP and his sponsors will not let him go easily

+10, this is probably the best guess we can have.

 

[Doppelganger]

Crazy with the amount of money he has he can't find anything else to do with his life. Still trying to hang on to the "glory days"


He doesn't need more money. If he can't live with whats he made, has major psychological issues and should be committed. Dude needs to give it up.

You must be on crack with that kind of uneducated, ignorant comment. The guy is still in the top 5 in the world. Let that sink in for a moment, TOP 5 MEN IN THE WORLD. As a matter of fact, the TOP 3. He beat Djoker in a final last year, and continues to win big matches making it to the latter rounds of tournaments. He clearly has more to offer and isn't done. When his performance severly degrades and his body can no longer keep up, he will make the decision when to retire. Not while he is in the top 5 in the world lol, gimme a break.

 

[sbengte]

You must be on crack with that kind of uneducated, ignorant comment. The guy is still in the top 5 in the world. Let that sink in for a moment, TOP 5 MEN IN THE WORLD. As a matter of fact, the TOP 3. He beat Djoker in a final last year, and continues to win big matches making it to the latter rounds of tournaments. He clearly has more to offer and isn't done. When his performance severly degrades and his body can no longer keep up, he will make the decision when to retire. Not while he is in the top 5 in the world lol, gimme a break.

LOL, 60's dung is miffed that his idol ran away unable to take humiliating losses from weak era mugs like Hewitt , Safin and Federer at the ripe old age of 29.

 

[Jonas78]

You must be on crack with that kind of uneducated, ignorant comment. The guy is still in the top 5 in the world. Let that sink in for a moment, TOP 5 MEN IN THE WORLD. As a matter of fact, the TOP 3. He beat Djoker in a final last year, and continues to win big matches making it to the latter rounds of tournaments. He clearly has more to offer and isn't done. When his performance severly degrades and his body can no longer keep up, he will make the decision when to retire. Not while he is in the top 5 in the world lol, gimme a break.

Take my advice: Dont even bother to answer troll-comments like that

 

[SoBad]

Funny you should mention Tokyo. Not buying your OSG/Tokyo idea but RF has said Tokyo is one of his favorite cities - but he's only played there once - 2006. Too bad the scheduling wouldn't allow him to play Tokyo then have a week off then play Shanghai.

I don’t buy it. Tokyo is far to classy an environment for Federer to feel comfortable. Wilson probably got him to say that to promote Nishikori. That being said, failing Rio, Federer will do anything to fight for an OSG.

 

[maxxy777]

NO - 2,3 years at most.
He is not going to play tennis unless he is in top 10.
Even tho its easy for him right now ,it can change overnight.

 

[mattosgrant]

Connors played until 39. I could see Federer as well. Players tend to time their retirements with the Olympics so perhaps 2020 (the year he turns 39) will be his last year. I predict he will be out of the top 10 by then if he plays that long though, or maybe just barely in it at best.

 

[Shaolin]

80 yr old federer would still beat many 5.0 guys lol

80 year old Fed could probably still compete in futures

 

[Djokovic_is_the_best#1]

The idea that he's trying to outlast Djokovic (and Nadal) might actually have some merit. Of course family comes first, but from a purely tennis perspective he can keep going as long as Djokovic is his only serious obstacle at slams (specifically Wimbledon/USO). He knows that even Djokovic can't go on forever and he knows, or at least believes that he's still second favourite at Wimbledon and perhaps the USO.

Fed is done winning slams. Accept it!