Prepare for Wimbledon without Federer and Serena – Shriver fears big two are done at SW19

Both came to the All England Club this year with hopes of landing another grand slam title, which for Federer would have been a ninth at Wimbledon and Serena an eighth on the famous grass courts.

However, they were met with disappointment, Williams “heartbroken” at having to retire from her first-round match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich due to an ankle injury.

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Federer was thrashed 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-0 by Hubert Hurkacz in the men’s quarter-finals and gave no assurances after the match that he would be back in 2022, or that he would play the Tokyo Olympics.

Both turn 40 later this year, Federer on August 8 and Williams on September 26, and their time at the top of tennis may now be over.

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Shriver, a five-time doubles champion at Wimbledon who won 22 grand slams in all, was asked on The Tennis Podcast whether she expected Federer to play Wimbledon again.

“I thought so, before the tournament. I didn’t think he would end Wimbledon without his family here,” Shriver said.

“But after seeing him in the quarters and listening to his press conference, I think it’s less than 50-50. I think we may have seen the last of him.”

Due to restricted bubbles put in place because of COVID-19 issues, Federer has been unable to have wife Mirka and their four children with him in London.

Federer has won 20 grand slam singles titles, a record for the men’s game that he shares with Rafael Nadal and which Novak Djokovic had the chance to match at this year’s Wimbledon.

Wimbledon: Serena Williams ‘heartbroken’ after painful SW19 retirement

Williams has 23 majors, one short of Margaret Court’s women’s record, but has been stuck on that total since 2017 and Shriver would be surprised to see her in the 2022 Wimbledon draw.

“I think it’s even less likely that she’ll be back,” Shriver said. “It’s really hard to stay fit for another year.

“She can’t keep coming back from more and more injuries. I think it’s definitely a turning point, pivot time, is the summer of 2021.”