Tennis great Federer retires

Roger Federer, widely believed to be one of the best tennis players of all time, announced his retirement from the sport Thursday. Federer finished five seasons ranked No. 1 and won 20 Grand Slam titles. His retirement, which comes just two weeks after that of fellow tennis great Serena Williams, signals a turning of the page for the sport. Federer is 41 years old.

At what age do tennis players typically retire? The average age of retirement for professional tennis players is 27, the website Grunge reported, though many have competed into their 30s and 40s. Serena Williams is 40. Federer cited injuries and surgeries over the past few years as the reason for his retirement, saying that his body’s “message to me has been clear.”

Dig deeper:  Listen to Jenny Rough's report from Wimbledon earlier this summer for the World and Everything In It Podcast.