"The Laver Cup next week in London will be my last tournament on the ATP circuit," announced Federer on social media, who has been away from the courts for more than a year due to injury.

The participation in the Laver Cup, which will be held in London between 23 and 25 September will mark the end of the career of the Swiss tennis player, who has not competed since the 2021 Wimbledon tournament due to several operations on his right knee.

"I am 41 years old. I have played more than 1,500 matches over 24 years and I must now acknowledge that the time has come to end my career," Federer announced, acknowledging that he had reached his "physical limits" as a result of three years full of injuries and surgeries.

The Swiss native played his last match on 7 July 2021 against Poland's Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter finals of Wimbledon, losing 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) and 6-0, shortly before undergoing another operation to repair damage to his knee.

Federer is, precisely, the record holder of titles at the British tournament, with eight trophies (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2017), having also lost four finals (2008, 2014, 2015, 2019), to which he added six Australian Open titles (2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2017, 2018), five at the US Open (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008) and one at Roland Garros (2009).

"I was granted a special talent to play tennis and I did it at a level I would never have imagined, for much longer than I thought possible. (...) The last 24 years on the circuit have been an incredible adventure," he pointed out.

The Swiss tennis player leaves the tournament with 20 Grand Slam titles to his name, one less than the Serbian Novak Djokovic and two less than the record holder for 'majors', Spaniard Rafael Nadal, with whom he has had one of the greatest rivalries in the history of the sport.

"I have been lucky enough to play so many epic matches, which I will never forget (...) I feel extremely grateful. We pushed each other and together we took tennis to new heights.

A professional since 1998, Federer has won 103 tournaments on the men's circuit, second only to American Jimmy Connors (109), including six Masters, as well as an Olympic gold medal in doubles at Beijing 2008 and a silver medal in singles at London 2012.

"Success brought me confidence and put me on the path of the most fantastic journey, which led me to this day. (...) Finally, to tennis: I love you and I will never abandon you," said Federer, who holds the record for consecutive weeks at the top of the world ranking, with 237, although the absolute maximum belongs to Djokovic, with 373.