"He was, is currently, and always will be the most beautiful thing that tennis, and sport in general, have given us!" - Tennis fans react as Roger Federer celebrates his 41st birthday

Roger Federer continues to trend and capture the attention of the tennis community despite his long absence from the tour. Such is his legacy, fans flooded social media on Monday with messages on the occasion of the Swiss great's 41st birthday.

Federer is among the oldest active players on the ATP tour and his 41st birthday is the first since his debut without him being officially ranked in the ATP Rankings. As the 20-time Grand Slam champion continues to prepare off the court for a comeback, fans have highlighted his contribution to the sport.

"Happy birthday to His Majesty Roger Federer. He was, is currently, and always will be the most beautiful thing that tennis, and sport in general, have given us!" a fan reacted on Twitter.

His great rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have overtaken him in the Grand Slam race, but one fan expressed that Federer will always have 'the pull' and will be a class apart.

"One of the athletes I grew up watching who I only started to fully respect and appreciate over time. Happy Birthday, Roger Federer. The Swiss Maestro, and the man who put tennis on the map. No matter how the "GOAT debate" ends, you'll always have the pull," said another tweet.

Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans who celebrated the Swiss player's 41st birthday:

The Swiss great last played at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships, where he bowed out in the quarterfinals, losing to Hubert Hurkacz in straight-sets. Federer made an appearance during the centennial celebrations at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships and is slated to make his tennis return at the Laver Cup in late September.

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While the Swiss player's ATP tour comeback will take place at the Laver Cup, his first ATP points event this season will be Swiss Indoors in Basel. The Swiss Indoors is the only points event he has been confirmed to participate in this season, but he could be seen in more tournaments before the season ends, depending on his fitness and performance in Basel.

Meanwhile, at the Laver Cup, he will team up with Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray, which will be the first-ever instance of the 'Big 4' playing at the team event together. The Swiss player last played in the Laver Cup in 2019, defeating John Isner and Nick Kyrgios in his singles matches.

With Alexander Zverev as his doubles partner, he notched up a doubles win over the pair of Jack Sock and Denis Shapovalov. The 2022 edition will be his fourth appearance at the tournament and he is expected to play doubles matches with either Nadal or Djokovic.