Patrick McEnroe praises 'class' Roger Federer for timing of his retirement announcement

Patrick McEnroe believes Roger Federer made a "classy move" by waiting for the US Open to end before announcing his retirement.

Federer's retirement announcement on Thursday came as a shock to fans all around the world. The tennis world was abuzz on social media, first trying to come to terms with the announcement before sharing tributes and thoughts on the same.

McEnroe, the former captain of the United States Davis Cup team, took to Twitter to credit the Swiss for the timing of his announcement. He stated that Federer knew about his decision to retire for a while, but waited for the US Open to wrap up before making the announcement.

"And one more thing..., Federer must have known about his announcement for a while. Yes, he waited until well after the US Open ended until he went public…Class," he tweeted.

And one more thing…

Federer must have known about his announcement for a while….

Yes he waited until well after the @usopen ended until he went public…

Class

"Your game and spirit taught us how beautiful tennis can be played" - Andre Agassi on Roger Federer's retirement

Roger Federer and Andre Agassi at the 2004 US Open.

Former World No. 1 Andre Agassi took to Twitter to bid farewell to Roger Federer. The two players met each other 11 times at contrasting times in their careers, when the American was in the final days of his career and Federer was a new and upcoming player.

The eight-time Grand Slam champion and Olympic medalist praised Federer for how beautifully he played the game and thanked him for his contributions.

"Your game and spirit taught us how beautiful tennis can be played, Roger Federer. Every moment you shared has left us all better off. Thank you, RF," Agassi tweeted.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion spared no time in responding to Agassi's tweet expressing how much his message meant to him and that he loved playing with each other. He went on to share how much he "missed him."

"Means a lot Andre, loved our matches and miss you," the Swiss replied.

Means a lot Andre, loved our matches and miss you 🙏 twitter.com/AndreAgassi/st…

In their 11 career meetings, Federer won eight times with Agassing triumphing thrice. The American's three wins came in the first three meetings between the pair, at the 1998 Swiss Open in Basel, the 2001 US Open, and the 2022 Miami Masters.

Their final clash came in the championship match at the 2005 US Open, where Agassi fought hard but lost 6-3, 2-6, 7-6, 6-1 loss in two hours and 19 minutes. Despite the defeat, Agassi praised Federer and called him the best opponent he ever faced.

"I think Roger is the best I've played against. To watch him evolve has been amazing," he said.