The day was September 23, 2022. Roger Federer said, “I’m happy, I’m not sad. It does feel like a celebration to me,” after playing his final match as a professional tennis player. But as he said those words, as the past 24 years of his life caught up to him, tears streamed down his eyes. Along with him, every person who looked up to the Swiss Maestro cried with him. But even then, Federer didn’t call his retirement what it was. He called it a celebration. And two years later, that hasn’t changed. It’s just that he has a new name for it.

Interestingly, so does Serena Williams. Just over a month before Federer hung up his racket, Williams published an emotional essay via Vogue on August 9, 2022. “I have never liked the word retirement,” the 23-time Grand Slam champion wrote. “It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me. I’ve been thinking of this as a transition… Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution. I’m evolving away from tennis toward other things that are important to me.” As Federer has done the same since 2022, Dartmouth College awarded him for his work.

On June 9, Roger Federer received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters for his extensive philanthropic work through the Roger Federer Foundation. The foundation, with pledges exceeding $100 million, focuses on improving the lives of underprivileged children in remote areas by providing necessities like food and shelter. This recognition highlights Federer’s commitment to making a positive impact beyond the tennis court. Speaking of making a positive impact, he tried to do the same through his Commencement Speech for the Class of 2024.

Federer expressed his respect for the graduating class: “I’m even more impressed because I left school at the age of 16 to play tennis full time.” At the beginning of his 25-minute address, the 20-time Grand Slam champion mentioned how this was only his second time stepping foot on a college campus. However, he found a way to make everyone resonate with his words. “I never went to college but I did graduate recently. I graduated tennis.”

Explaining his thought process, Federer added, “I know the word is ‘retire.’ ‘Roger Federer retired from tennis.’ ‘Retired,’ the word is awful! You wouldn’t say you retired from college, right? It sounds terrible! Like you, I’ve finished one big thing, and I’m moving on to the next.” Although this statement was unique in its own way, the resemblance to Serena Williams’ words was uncanny. Serena evolved away from tennis, and Roger graduated from it. And as a graduate, he had a few more “tennis lessons” to give the 11,000 students listening.

The 42-year-old continued, “Graduates, I feel your pain. I know what it’s like when people keep asking what your plan is for the rest of your life.” When a tennis player retires, there’s always the question of whether or not they’ll stay close to the professional circuit. And Federer’s case was no different. However, now that he’s “graduated,” he’s embracing life away from the sport. “I’m a dad first, so I drive my kids to school. I play chess online against strangers… I’m loving the life of a tennis graduate.” As for his tennis lessons, he shared three.

One, “Effortless is a myth.” As someone whose style of play had been dubbed effortless more times than he could’ve counted, Roger Federer described how he had to work extremely hard to make it seem that way. Two, “It’s only a point.” Federer may have won almost 80% of the matches he played. However, he won only 54% of the points he played. The moral of the story: Don’t dwell on failures. The third and final lesson: “Life is bigger than the court.” The message he wanted to send to the graduates was to live a purpose-driven life while also following your dreams and doing what you love.

These tennis lessons are what made him the legend he is. And the best part is, he’s still applying these to his life right now, two years after his “graduation.” That said, when discussing his retirement, it’s impossible to ignore the maestro’s documentary, Federer: Twelve Final Days, which will offer an intimate look at Roger Federer’s final days on tour.

Roger Federer on his new documentary: It shows “the vulnerability that goes into retirement”

The Big Apple always welcomes Roger Federer with open arms, but this time at a different kind of court. Instead of the roar of the US Open crowd, Federer drew a captivated audience on Monday for the premiere of his documentary, Federer: Twelve Final Days. Set to release on June 20 on Prime Video, the film will take viewers on a personal journey through Federer’s final days as a professional tennis player. It culminated with his emotional farewell match – a doubles pairing with longtime rival and best friend Rafael Nadal at the Laver Cup in London.

“I think an athlete’s journey is emotional, but I think also seeing the beautiful friendships that we create, the bonds, and then – through rivalry – they can be quite unbreakable actually,” he told Olympics.com. “Because you share those memories if you like them or not. And I think that’s the beauty of this film, as well.”

Originally intended to be private, this documentary will give fans a rare glimpse into the complex emotions surrounding an athlete’s retirement, particularly for a legend like Federer. The film will feature interviews with his biggest competitors – Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray – the group dubbed tennis’ Big 4. Their dominance has resulted in a staggering total of 69 Grand Slam singles titles and 10 Olympic medals.

“It’s supposed to be a feel-good film,” Federer said. “But also the suffering and the vulnerability that goes into the retirement… as well as the happiness and the gratitude you have. So I think there’s so much to it. Some parts will resonate probably with a lot of people. Some other parts… probably not, [like], ‘Why is Roger crying all the time?’” he hilariously added. “‘Why’s he struggling through this process? He’s just a tennis player.’ I get it.”

The way Roger Federer explained the true meaning of retirement not only enlightened the students but also gave players a new lens to look at their careers. As it found a close connectivity to that of Serena Williams, it also made us reminisce about the good old days when these two legends graced the courts.