September 16, (THEWILL) – Roger Federer has been referred to as a “genius” and “an example for any athlete” by Lionel Messi on social media, after the 20-time Grand Slam winner announced his retirement from competitive tennis.
As THEWILL reported, the 41-year-old announced that following this year’s Laver Cup, billed from September 23 to 25, he will retire from tennis permanently due to a string of injuries and surgery, which have recently prevented him from playing regularly.
Following the announcement, the Swiss superstar received an outpouring of support from the sporting community. For instance, in a post on Instagram, Serena Williams stated that she “always looked up to” Federer, and now Messi has added his voice to the stream of emotional reactions to the news.
In his post, Messi wrote: “A genius, unique in the history of tennis and an example for any athlete. All the best in your new stage, we will miss seeing you on the court making us enjoy.”
Federer will participate in a competitive match for the final time at the end of this month after being out since Wimbledon 2021 due to a third knee operation. Rafael Nadal, Federer’s fiercest adversary, also paid tribute to the Swiss Maestro. Along with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, Nadal is one of the “Big Three” of men’s tennis. He has 22 Grand Slam titles to Federer’s 20.
