Michael Stich believes 20-times Grand Slam champion Roger Federer should have retired from the sport “a little earlier” than he did after all “the knowledge we have today.”
Swiss maestro in an illustrious career won 20 majors that included 8 Wimbledon titles, 6 Australian Opens, 5 US Open crowns and a French Open title (2009). During his 24-year career Federer also clinched 103 ATP tour titles and spent a total of 310 weeks as ATP World No.1.
After years of success, Federer decided to call time on his celebrated career in Sep 2022 at an age of 41. He played his farewell match at the Laver Cup in London. Federer’s last Grand Slam triumph came at 2018 Australian Open where he defeated Marin Čilić in five sets while his last tour title came at the 2019 Swiss Indoors in Basel.
Michael Stich recently shed light on his early retirement from the sport and said that he felt Federer should have done the same. Stich retired from the tennis at the age of 28 following his 1997 Wimbledon semifinal.
The German in an interview with GMX, owned the decision of his premature retirement from the professional tennis, while highlighting the fact that Federer should have walked away from the sport a bit earlier.
“No, I’m glad I quit at 28. It must also be said that the decision was completely spontaneous after losing the semifinal against Cedric Pioline at Wimbledon in 1997,” said the 1991 Wimbledon champion.
“No. It was my decision and I had to live with it. That’s why the reaction from those around me wasn’t that important to me at first. Apart from that, I still think that there is no perfect time to end your career anyway.
“Look at Roger Federer – with the knowledge we have today, from the outside, maybe he should have let it go a little earlier. But in the end it was his decision and if he feels comfortable with the final years of his career, that’s still okay.”
Stich, now 55 won 18 ATP titles during his decent career and reached a career-high ranking of world No 2, while he was also a runner-up at the two majors: 1994 US Open and 1996 French Open. He edged compatriot 6-time major champion Boris Becker in straight sets to earn his only Grand Slam crown at the All England Club.
Despite leaving the sport a bit early, the German veteran has remained connected with the tennis over the years. He embraced the role of Germany’s Davis Cup team captain and also served as tournament director at the Hamburg Open for a number of years. When asked if he plans to catch up with German tennis in future, Stich didn’t rule out the possibility: “I’m generally not one to rule anything out. I will always be willing to give back to my sport when asked.”
Meanwhile, Federer is busy with his post-retirement ventures that includes managing his business empire and enjoying a retired life after a decorated career.
“At the end I was relieved, I think, and happy to retire. It ended in the most perfect way at the Laver Cup,” said Federer about his retirement earlier in August.