'I'm proud to have played with Roger Federer', says ATP ace

• Tennis News
• Roger Federer

Paris Saint-Germain superstar Leo Messi has described Roger Federer as "a genius" and hailed him as a unique player in tennis history. On Thursday, Federer, a 20-time Grand Slam champion, announced his plans to retire after the Laver Cup.

Messi, who is considered one of the best players in history, says that he will miss seeing Federer on the tennis courts. "A genius, unique in the history of tennis and an example for any athlete. The best in your new stage, we will miss seeing you on the pitch making us enjoy, @rogerfederer," Messi wrote on Instagram.

In a retirement message posted on Thursday, Federer reflected on his tennis journey and how he went from dreaming of being a tennis player to fulfilling all of his tennis dreams. Federer, who in his day was a boy from Basel, is now destined to go down in history as one of the greatest athletes in all of sports.

"When my interest in tennis started, I was a ball boy in my hometown of Basel. He watched the players in amazement. They were like giants to me and I began to dream. My dreams led me to work harder and I began to believe in myself.

Some successes gave me confidence and I was on my way to the most amazing journey that has taken me to this day. So, I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart all those who, all over the world, have contributed to making the dreams of a young Swiss ball retriever come true.

Lastly, to the game of tennis: I love you and I will never leave you," Federer said.

Denis Istomin comments on Federer

Uzbek tennis player Denis Istomin recognized in words collected by GoTennis the importance that Roger Federer has had in the world of tennis: "Roger had a very long career and great moments.

He is one of the best players of all time. I want to thank him for brought so many sponsors to this sport. Tennis has become very popular because of people like him. I'm proud to have played with him around the same time. I've been lucky enough to play many matches against him (8-0 record in against) and each one of them has been very memorable for me", said Istomin who acknowledged that he knew that Federer's end was very close: "I played against him last year at Roland Garros.

I felt that he was at the end of his career I noticed that his reaction was no longer the same as before. Still, he played very well for his age."