Roger Federer Leaves Room for Doubt When Asked If He'll Ever Return to Wimbledon

Tennis fans may have seen the last of Roger Federer when it comes to Wimbledon. The 39-year-old tennis star lost to Hubert Hurkacz in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon on Wednesday. When talking to reporters after the match, Federer was asked if he would return next year and the response was one met with doubt all around.

"I don't know. I really don't know," Federer said. "I've got to regroup." He was then asked if he was going to retire from tennis. "No, I hope not. ... The goal is to play, of course." Despite his age, Federer is one of the top tennis players in the world. His last finals appearance in the Grand Slam is in 2019, when he lost to Novak Djokovic. His last Grand Slam title came in 2018 when he won the Australian Open. But Wimbledon is where Federer has been dominant, winning eight titles, with the last being in 2017.

Federer's match on Wednesday was tough to swallow, as he was shut out in the third and final set. "The last few games, obviously, you can feel that you're not coming back from it," said Federer, who has not decided if he will compete in the Tokyo Olympics. "I'm not used to that kind of situation, obviously, very much. Especially not here."

If Federer were to retire, he would leave the game as one of the all-time greats. He is tied with Rafael Nadal for the most Grand Slam men's singles titles with 20. He has been No. 1 in the world for 301 weeks and won two medals in two different Olympics.

"I'm actually very happy I made it as far as I did here, and I actually was able to play Wimbledon at the level that I did after everything I went through," Federer said. Of course, I would like to play (Wimbledon) again, but at my age, you're just never sure what's around the corner."

As great as Federer's career is, 2021 has not been kind to him. In January, Federer withdrew from the Australian Open due to him having knee surgery and COVID-19 protocols. He also withdrew from the French Open due to knee problems. But Federer did make history at Wimbledon, becoming the oldest player in the Open Era to reach the quarterfinals at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.