Swiss tennis player Roger Federer announced his retirement from tennis, marking the end of an era of one of the greatest players in the history of the sport.

Federer, 41, posted a letter on his website, writing that the upcoming Laver Cup in London will be his last Association of Tennis Professionals event.

“Tennis has treated me more generously than I ever would have dreamt, and now I must recognize when it’s time to end my competitive career,” Federer said. “I will play more tennis in the future, of course, but just not in Grand Slams or on the Tour.”

A series of injuries, most notably three knee surgeries in the span of 18 months with the most recent in 2021 after Wimbledon, were cited as some of the reasons for his retirement.

“I’ve had to return to full competitive form. But I also know my body’s capacities and limits, and its message to me lately has been clear,” Federer said in his letter.

Born in Basel, Switzerland, Federer started playing tennis at the age of 8 and became the country’s junior champion at 14. He debuted at his first ATP Tour in 1998 in Gstaad as a wildcard entry, according to his profile.

He won his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2003 and defended successfully the following year at the same event, winning both the U.S. and Australian open tournaments that year, too.

Federer won 20 Grand Slam singles titles in his career, being the first man to do so and making him one of six players to have at least that number of singles wins.  He spent over 300 weeks at number one and at the age of 36 became the oldest male player to do so.

Federer won the French Open once, the U.S. Open five times, the Australian Open six times and Wimbledon a record eight times. He has the most Wimbledon singles wins of any male player. He also won 103 ATP titles, making him second only to Jimmy Conners in the Open era.

Rafael Nadal, one of Federer’s main rivals, expressed his well-wishes to the Swiss-player, noting he wished “this day would have never come.”

“It’s a sad day for me personally and for sports around the world,” Nadal said via social media. “It’s been a pleasure but also an honor and privilege to share all these years with you, living so many moments on and off the court.”

Carlos Alcaraz, the 19-year-old Spanish player who is the current men’s number one after winning this year’s U.S. Open, also expressed his well-wishes to one of his “idols.”

“Thank you for everything you have done for our sport! I still want to play with you! Wish you all the luck in the world for what comes next!” Alcaraz said in a tweet.

Serena Williams, who also announced her plans to “move on” and retire from the sport after the U.S. Open, welcomed Federer to the “retirement club.”

“You inspired countless millions and millions of people — including me — and we will never forget,” she said in an Instagram post. “I applaud you and look forward to all that you do in the future.”

Federer’s final ATP matches will take place at the Laver Cup from Sept. 23 to Sept. 25 at the O2 Arena in London.