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Rafael Nadal then went and cemented that love for me. ↩︎
An enjoyable recent activity: watching Womenās World Cup games with my wife. As someone who doesnāt have an interest in sports, this has been a surprising development.
And these teams should be getting way more funding than their male counterparts. The games have been far more thrilling.
Roger Federer to retire after Laver Cup in September ā
From BBC Sport:
Roger Federer, one of the greatest players of all time, will retire from top-level tennis after the Laver Cup in London this month.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion has not played since Wimbledon 2021, after which he had a third knee operation.
āMy body’s message to me lately has been clear,ā Swiss Federer, 41, said.
āI have played more than 1,500 matches over 24 years. Now I must recognise when it is time to end my competitive career.ā
Iām generally not a fan of sports, but for reasons I canāt figure out, I love watching tennis. I think the blame for this appreciation can rest entirely on the shoulders of one Swiss person: Roger Federer.1
Watching him play in Wimbledon over a decade ago was a defining moment for me. It felt like I was watching someone excel at something in a way that no other person was, and thatās because he was doing exactly that. Itās something special to witness true mastery at play.
But now heās forty-one years old; itās no surprise that heās going to retire. Frankly, Iām surprised he didnāt do it sooner, but Iām glad I got to see my fair share of his matches. Along with Serenaās recent retirement, I expect that weāre going to see many of āthe greatsā stepping away from competition in the next few years. So it goes.
Knowing that there are so many up-and-coming stars to watch takes the sting off this announcement. The next generation of superb tennis athletes is beginning to pick up steam; itās going to be exciting to watch as they come into their own. Thereās something just as moving about that prospect as was watching Federer become one of the best ever.