Federer, one of the greatest athletes in history, sought to correct the record during his external graduation speech at Dartmouth College in the United States.
As he spoke at the New Hampshire college to accept a Doctor of Humane Letters degree, the Swiss exchanged the shorts he had worn “almost every day for the last 35 years” for a robe that was “hard to move in”.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion, who will give up playing professionally in 2022, expressed how “bad” he thinks the word “retired.”
As for those he was speaking to, he stated he had “graduated from tennis” and that he had “finished one big thing” and was “moving on to the next”.
Federer was well-known for his sophisticated and graceful style of play and his eight Wimbledon victories.
“Some would suggest that my play was too easy. “They meant it as a compliment most of the time,” he stated during the ceremony on Sunday. However, it used to irritate me when people would remark, “Is he even trying?” or “He barely broke a sweat.”
“To be honest, I had to put in a lot of effort to make it appear simple.
“My success wasn’t only attributed to my talent. I tried to outwork my opponents to get there.
