"They embraced the fashion side of tennis as well, took tennis to a different stratosphere; they are so synonymous" - Rennae Stubbs on Roger Federer and Serena Williams' legacy

Roger Federer's retirement from tennis comes shortly after Serena Williams', ending two of the greatest careers in the sport within the span of a few weeks. Their combined tally of 43 Grand Slam singles titles itself speaks volumes of their legacy, but their contributions to the sport go beyond the tennis aspect of it all, according to Rennae Stubbs.

Six-time Grand Slam doubles champion Stubbs opined that both Federer and Williams were quite fashionable as well, setting fashion trends with their respective outfits on the court over the years. By introducing aspects beyond just the tennis they played, the duo took tennis to "a different stratosphere," believes Stubbs.

Stubbs recently appeared on an episode of the Off The Ball podcast, where she reflected on the legacies of both Serena Williams and Roger Federer.

"I mean, Serena and Roger, really, they embraced the fashion side of tennis as well, you know, with the clothing that they would arrive on the court. They took tennis to a different stratosphere in my opinion," Stubbs expressed.

Stubbs further stated that their retirement will leave a big vacuum in the sport. She even revealed a past conversation she had with Williams, who told Stubbs that she feels Federer and herself might retire at the same time. While it was an educated guess back then, it turned into reality.

"But it is quite a vacuum that they leave. Roger and Serena are so synonymous. It was interesting because I had talked about this with Serena years ago and it was a guess that they were both retired at the same time. And look at that, they've done that," Stubbs said on the same.

The former doubles World No. 1 further opined that if not for their injury issues and other personal circumstances, both players would have won more Grand Slam titles. Williams has 23 Grand Slam singles titles, one short of the all-time women's singles record, while Federer has 20, two short of the current all-time men's singles record.

"With the injuries Roger had sustained over the last year and ofcourse with Serena losing a year (while) having her child and then trying to come back from that. Certainly, they could have probably achieved even more Grand Slam titles, both of them," Stubbs added.

"It's nice that like Serena, he will get a beautiful, very warm send-off" - Rennae Stubbs on Roger Federer

Wimbledon Champions 2009

Rennae Stubbs further highlighted that it was important for both Roger Federer and Serena Williams to retire on their own terms and with happy memories of their last tournaments. Williams made a comeback this season and played a few events after her heartbreaking exit from the 2021 Wimbledon Championships, where an emotional Williams was forced to retire due to injury.

Similarly, in Federer's last appearance on tour, he lost at Wimbledon in 2021, dropping the final set he played there 6-0. Stubbs, therefore, is glad that the Swiss great will get the farewell he deserves at the Laver Cup next week.

"Much like Serena. I think she just wanted to play a decent, couple of lost tournaments and finish her career the way she wanted to," Stubbs said. "Because the year before we saw her limping and crying going off at the Center Court at Wimbledon, which no champion should do."

"As Roger, that was just one of the last scenes we ever saw him losing 6-0 in the last set he ever played at Wimbledon, that's unheard of. So, yeah, it's nice that he, like Serena, will get a beautiful, very warm, welcome and great send-off from his millions of fans."

Federer will play his career tournament at next weekend's Laver Cup, where he will be joined by Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Casper Ruud, as Team Europe will take on Team World in the September 23-25 event.

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