'I was on very thin ice': Federer admits he 'stopped believing' he could continue playing tennis after Wimbledon

Roger Federer said Wednesday that he decided to retire because he "stopped believing" he could continue playing after a series of injuries.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion announced last Thursday he would be retiring from competitive tennis after a final appearance at the Laver Cup in London this week. Federer last played on tour more than a year ago, at Wimbledon in 2021, after which he required knee surgery for the third time.

"The last three years have been tough to say the least," the 41-year-old Swiss great told BBC television.

"I knew I was on very thin ice for the last year ever since I played Wimbledon," he added; he last won a Grand Slam at the 2018 Australian Open.

"I tried to come back but there was a limit to what I could do. And I stopped believing in it, to be honest."

Federer had hoped to be back playing full-time in 2022 but said a scan a few months ago had been "not what I was hoping for".

"Very quickly we realised this was it. Then the question becomes: how do you announce and when do you announce?

"It's been an emotional few weeks to go through those words to try to get them right – that they reflect how I'm feeling – and to thank all the people who have helped along the way," he said.

The Laver Cup team event in London from Friday will give Federer a final chance to play competitively as part of the "Big Four" who dominated tennis over the past two decades; Rafael Nadal, who holds the record for Grand Slam titles with 22, Novak Djokovic, who has won 21, and two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray will all play together as part of Team Europe.