5 big players who retired in 2022 ft. Roger Federer, Serena Williams

Roger Federer had a tear-filled farewell on Friday when he played his final career match to bring an end to his glorious career. The 20-time Grand Slam winner walks away from the sport as one of its undoubted legends.

Federer is not the only big-name player to have called time on their career this season. A few weeks ago, Serena Williams said her goodbyes to tennis at the US Open, having announced her decision to retire prior to the commencement of the tournament. 2022 began with Ashleigh Barty retiring from the sport at her peak, with Federer the latest star to join her.

On that note, here are five big players, including Federer and Williams, who have called time on their careers in 2022:

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#5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga waves to the crowd during a presentation ceremony after his final career match at the 2022 Roland Garros.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, an 18-time tour-level titlist who has won 467 matches, bid a tearful farewell from tennis following his first-round defeat at the hands of Casper Ruud at the French Open.

“It is with great emotion that I announce today my decision to stop my professional career at the next French Open. So many incredible moments, so much joy shared with a public that gave me a lot. Hoping for one last thrill with you!” Tsonga said, in a statement announcing his decision to retire.

The 37-year-old retired from tennis with 121 Grand Slam match wins — a record among French men. The most notable result of his career was his Olympic doubles silver medal, which he won alongside Michael Llodra at the 2012 London Games.

At the Majors, he was a runner-up at the Australian Open once (2008) and was a two-time semifinalist at the French Open (2013, 2015) and the Wimbledon Championships (2011, 2012). He is also a two-time ATP Masters 1000 champion (2008 Paris, 2014 Canada) and a three-time Nitto ATP Finals competitor (2008, 2011-12). The Le Mans native has the second-highest winning percentage (66.5%) in tour-level matches on record among Frenchmen, only trailing Yannick Noah (69.6%).

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#4 Juan Martin del Potro

Juan Martin del Potro won a total of 22 tour-level titles in his career.

Juan Martin del Potro walked away from the sport following his first-round defeat to Federico Delbonis at the Argentina Open, a tournament he entered via a wild card. It was also the former World No. 3's first competitive match since 2019, following four right knee surgeries.

In a tear-filled press conference a few days before the tournament, the Argentine had hinted at retirement after years of battling multiple injuries.

"Unfortunately I had to deal with many injuries, but I achieved most of the things I wanted to achieve. Maybe I won't have a miraculous return to tennis like I always had. It's very difficult for me to play, especially on a day-to-day basis, beyond sport. Today, if I'm honest, I have to give this message. I know the ability I have with tennis, but I also know the limitations with my physique," he stated.

Del Potro turned professional in 2005, played his first ATP tour event in 2006, and won his first ATP title in Stuttgart in 2008, the first of four that season. The highlight of the 34-year-old's career is his 2009 US Open triumph. Seeded sixth in New York that year, he defeated Rafael Nadal in the semifinals and Roger Federer in the final to win his first and only Grand Slam title.

In his career, del Potro reached the semifinals or better at six Majors and the quarterfinals on 13 occasions. He won a total of 22 tour-level titles, the most recent of which came at the 2018 Indian Wells Masters. The Tower of Tandil, as he is fondly called, is a two-time Olympic singles medalist, winning bronze at the 2012 London Games and silver at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics

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#3 Ashleigh Barty

Ashleigh Barty won the 2022 Australian Open women's singles title.

Ashleigh Barty shocked the world earlier this year when she announced her sudden retirement from tennis.

In an Instagram interview with friend and former doubles partner Casey Dellacqua, the 26-year-old revealed her decision to walk away from the sport and the reasons behind it.

"I wasn't quite sure how I was going to do this; this is perfect for me, to share it with you, to talk to you about it, with my team, my loved ones, that I will be retiring from tennis. It's the first time I've actually said it out loud and it's hard to say. But I am so happy, and I'm so ready. And I just know at the moment, in my heart for me as a person, that this is right," she said.

The announcement came just weeks after Barty won the Australian Open in January, which ended a 44-year drought for Australian women at Melbourne Park.

What made the news surprising was that Barty was entering the peak of her career and was looking in good stead to dominate the game for the foreseeable future. When she hung up her racket, she was at the top of the WTA rankings for 114 consecutive weeks, the fourth-longest streak in the history of the sport.

She won three Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces, the 2019 French Open, the 2021 Wimbledon Championships, and the Australian Open this year. In all, she registered a 305-102 win-loss record in singles and a 200-64 record in doubles; winning 15 singles titles and 12 in doubles.

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#2 Serena Williams

Serena Williams won 23 Major titles, three more than Roger Federer.

Serena Williams announced her imminent retirement from the sport in an article she wrote for Vogue magazine in September. She carefully detailed the reasons for her decision, admitting that her time as a tennis player was drawing to a close.

"I have never liked the word retirement. It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me. I’ve been thinking of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people. Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution. I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me," she stated.

The 23-time Grand Slam winner’s records and achievements have been widely spoken about over the years. She has won seven titles each at Wimbledon and the Australian Open, the US Open six times, and the French Open thrice. In doubles, she's a six-time champion at Wimbledon, a four-time winner at the Australian Open, and twice each at the US Open and Roland Garros.

She won Olympic singles gold at the 2012 London Games and doubles gold thrice (2000, 2008 and 2012) while partnering her sister Venus Williams.

The 41-year-old is one of just four players to have registered a Career Golden Slam in singles — the others being Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi, and Rafael Nadal. She’s also the only player in tennis history (men's and women's) to complete a Career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles.

The American has won a total of 73 WTA titles, which is the fifth-highest on the all-time list. She sits third on the all-time list for most time spent as World No. 1; having had eight different reigns at the top for a total of 319 weeks. She brought her career to an end at the US Open with an overall win-loss record of 858-156.

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#1 Roger Federer

The 2022 Laver Cup marked Roger Federer's retirement from professional tennis.

Roger Federer is the latest star to retire from the sport this year. The Swiss maestro announced his decision to call time on his career a few weeks ago, and the 2022 Laver Cup was the scene where he played the final match of his career.

Federer took to social media, like many others, to send shockwaves across the tennis world and beyond when he announced his decision to retire.

"As many of you know, the past three years have presented me with challenges in the form of injuries and surgeries. I've worked hard to return to full competitive form. But I also know my body's capacities and limits, and its message to me lately has been clear," Federer said in his retirement statement.

"I am 41 years old. I have played more than 1500 matches over 24 years. Tennis has treated me more generously than I ever would have dreamt, and now I must recognize when it is time to end my competitive career," Federer added.

At the Laver Cup in London on Friday, the 41-year-old partnered friend and long-time rival Rafael Nadal in a doubles match. The pair lost to Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe, which also marked the end of Federer's remarkable career.

Federer's achievements, records, and statistics are too many to be listed, but here's the gist: he played 1,526 professional matches, winning 1,251 of them and spent 310 weeks as the World No. 1. Federer has won 103 career titles, played in 31 Major finals, won 28 Masters 1000 titles, picked up 20 Grand Slam titles and finished as the year-end No. 1 five times.