All-time tennis great Roger Federer recently became the oldest man to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals in the Open Era roughly one month before his 40th birthday but saw his run at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club come to a crashing halt Wednesday when he lost to Hubert Hurkacz 3-6, 6-7 (4-7), 0-6.
The eight-time Wimbledon champion stuck on 20 career Grand Slam titles and tied with Rafael Nadal for that record didn't necessarily hint at retirement in his post-match press event, but, per Metro's George Bellshaw, also didn't commit to playing at Wimbledon ever again.
Roger Federer: 'It was tough. Last few games as you can feel you're not coming back from it. I'm not used to that kind of situation very much. Especially not here. Crowd was amazing. That's why I play and why I still play now. Unfortunately they witnessed a straight sets defeat.'
— George Bellshaw (@BellshawGeorge) July 7, 2021
Federer on if it's his last Wimbledon: 'I don't know. I really don't know. I've got to regroup. My goal was always to try & play another Wimbledon. I was able to make it this year, which I'm really happy about. Everything that comes after we'll have to sit down and talk about it'
— George Bellshaw (@BellshawGeorge) July 7, 2021
Federer underwent multiple knee operations in 2020, withdrew from the French Open after an exhausting third-round victory, admitted he was "lucky" to escape the first round of this Slam because of an injury, and now has lost a set 6-0 at Wimbledon for the first time. The previously mentioned Nadal, meanwhile, isn't playing at Wimbledon or the Summer Olympics.
Also on Wednesday, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic booked a spot in the Wimbledon semifinals and is now two wins away from tying Federer and Nadal with 20 career Slams.
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