Federer retires, Toulouse remembers his beginnings
Tennis legend Roger Federer announced on September 15, 2022 that he has retired. At 41, the world retains 20 Grand Slam titles. But it was in Toulouse that the Swiss won his first professional tournament.
You will no longer see Roger Federer in the major world tennis tournaments. The star bows out and retires at the end of September 2022. 24 years of career and 20 Grand Slam titles. But his very first victory in a professional tournament was in Toulouse. Memories memories.
He was not yet 17 when he set foot on the greenset of the Palais des Sports in Toulouse. We are in 1998, at the Toulouse Open, a tournament that no longer exists. The world is about to discover one of tennis’ greatest legends.
At the end of September in the final, the young Swiss took over the Frenchman Guillaume Raoux. Roger Federer wins the first ever victory in a professional tournament.
At the time Roger Federer was almost unknown to the general public. To access his first professional success, he will also have to go through the course of qualifications. A team of France 3 Midi-Pyrenees was here. We found the pictures:
In Tarbes, the Knaebel family, behind the creation of the Petits As tournament, will also remember Roger Federer. All the big names in world tennis have taken part in this tournament, reserved for young shooters aged 13 to 15 and which established itself in the 1980s as a talent revealer.
Like Nadal, Djokovic or Andy Murray, Roger Federer cut his teeth in the Tarbes tournament. It was in 1995, but at the time, he doesn’t make a big impression. He lost in the round of 16. The Tournament Director will say of him “sOn the court, he was unruly, rowdy. It didn’t look like he was going to do much afterwards.”
The rest, we know it… A great champion. The perfect player, calm and focused. 24 years of exceptional career. 20 Grand Slam titles and its hallmark: winning serve.
With Federer’s retirement at the end of September, a historic page in tennis will definitely be turned.