"This is as good as it gets for me" - Tommy Haas reflects on contemplating retirement after defeating Roger Federer in his last win on the ATP Tour

Tommy Haas reminisced about considering retirement after defeating Roger Federer in his final win on the ATP Tour on 'The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast' with former player and coach Rennae Stubbs.

Former World No. 2 Tommy Haas defeated Roger Federer at the Stuttgart Open in 2017 in what turned out to be his last win on the ATP Tour. The German revealed that he seriously contemplated announcing the end of his career while giving his winner's speech.

"You know I was playing Roger and I was soaking in the moment and as soon as I won the match I swear to you I thought to myself, I’m going to take the microphone and say this is it, I’m done," Haas shared.

Stubbs questioned whether he really retired right after winning the match, to which Haas replied that while he did not follow through on retiring at the time, he seriously contemplated doing so. He stated that the moment felt right as he had his family supporting him from the stands and he felt at peace with everything he had achieved over the course of his career.

"No no I wanted to. I won the match and I said to myself my lower back’s already feeling like it’s not great. This is as good as it gets probably for me you know at this stage in my career. My family is here, my daughter is here. Everybody is enjoying it, I’m truly enjoying it. I said this should be it," he said.

"I never won another match after that" - Tommy Haas shares how the win against Roger Federer shaped the remainder of his career

Federer and Haas at the BNP Paribas Open

During the podcast, Tommy Hass shared that the idea of progressing further into the Stuttgart Open in 2017 held him back from retiring. Similarly, he still felt the desire to compete in the tournaments that were yet to come in Halle and Hamburg. Despite this, Haas never won another match on the ATP Tour, which he attributed to the mindset change that occurred in him during the match against Roger Federer.

"But I never won a match after that match again. It was like the mindset was like I’m done, I’m finished. I could not win any big points any more after that," he said.

Roger Federer dominated his on-court rivalry with Tommy Haas over the course of their careers. The 20-time Grand Slam champion led 13-4 in his head-to-head against Haas, including a 3-1 record in Grand Slam events.