"If he hadn't been injured, Roger Federer would have kept winning and kept playing" - Former coach Ivan Ljubicic
Tennis legend Roger Federer's former coach Ivan Ljubicic recently commented on the Swiss' injury and retirement.
Federer has been a nearly perfect representative of tennis for the past 15 years. The Swiss, who holds a record 20 Grand Slam titles along with many other records. However, he retired from tennis in 2022 at the O2 Arena in London after losing his doubles match alongside Rafael Nadal at the Laver Cup.
His farewell included emotional moments between him, the Spaniard, Novak Djokovic, and other top players.
Ivan Ljubicic, Roger Federer's former coach, recently sat down for an interview and reminisced about the days in 2016 when the legendary player injured his knee.
Ljubicic told Tages Anzeiger:
"In our second tournament, he tore his meniscus. The knees always gave us problems. First it was the left, then the right. He squeezed the lemon to the maximum. I was impressed by the way he fought and devoted hours and hours to those tedious exercises."
He added:
"He worked five hours a day, knowing he wouldn't be able to get back on the slopes until later. Mentally, you have to be very strong for that, because nobody guaranteed that he was going to play again. He believed until the last moment."
Ljubicic added that if the Swiss hadn't been injured, he would have kept playing and winning because he loves the sport as much as his former arch-rival, Rafael Nadal.
The Croatian said:
"If he hadn't been injured, Roger would have kept winning and kept playing. It's like Rafa. I don't know if Rafa will not be again, but they love this sport so much that they would continue playing until they can. Until your body says enough. His career could not have ended otherwise."
"No one will be able to come close, even remotely, to what Roger Federer has given to this sport" - Ivan Ljubicic
Ivan Ljubicic then said that no one has ever come close to what Roger Federer has given to tennis and that no one has ever been as beloved and influential as him.
He said:
"No one will be able to come close, even remotely, to what Federer has given to this sport. He has received the award for the most beloved tennis player 19 years in a row and has won the sportsmanship award 13 times. I don't think there's been anyone in any other sport who has been as beloved and influenced as many others as he has."
After retiring, the Swiss is enjoying his time with his wife, Mirka, and their children. He was also spotted attending the recently concluded 2023 Wimbledon Championships with his family.