After a distinguished 24-year career featuring 20 Grand Slams and a record eight Wimbledon titles, Roger Federer has announced he will be retiring from competitive tennis after next week’s Laver Cup.

The news came from a letter posted on Federer’s social media accounts, which has driven tennis fans and sports enthusiasts alike into a frenzy.

“Of all the gifts that tennis has given me over the years, the greatest, without a doubt, has been the people I met along the way: my friends, my competitors, and most of all the fans who give the sport its life,” he wrote.

“Tennis has treated me more generously than I ever would have dreamt, and now I must recognise when it is time to end my competitive career.”

Federer’s retirement comes just one month after another titan of tennis, Serena Williams, seemingly announced her own retirement from the sport. While Williams cited her wish to focus on expanding her family as the reason for giving up the competitive racquet, Federer placed the blame on the injuries he’s suffered.

“As many of you know, the past three years have presented me with challenges in the form of injuries and surgeries,” he wrote.  “I’ve worked hard to return to full competitive form. But I also know my body’s capacities and limits, and its message to me lately has been clear.”

Federer has suffered numerous knee problems over the last three years, and he received three operations from 2020 to 2021 in an attempt to return to proper form. His injuries caused him to miss this year’s Wimbledon, and his most recent competitive match was Wimbledon 2021, where he suffered a defeat in the quarter-finals against Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz.

In the aftermath of his announcement, tributes and well-wishes for the tennis icon have flooded in on social media. The most touching of these came from Federer’s longtime rival and friend, Rafael Nadal.

The Federer-Nadal rivalry is one of the fiercest in the history of tennis: born from their first clash at the Miami Masters in 2004, the two have played each other 40 times, with Nadal leading in victories 24-16. In a response to Federer’s twitter post, Nadal put aside their rivalry, and paid his respects to a fellow legend.

“Dear Roger, my friend and rival. I wish this day would never come. It’s a sad day for me personally and for sports around the world,” he wrote. “It’s been a pleasure but also an honor and privilege to share all these years with you, living so many amazing moments on and off the court.”