Wimbledon is set to kick off without Roger Federer for the first time in over two decades next week and, with the clock ticking down on the Swiss maestro’s career, John McEnroe said he was grateful for being able to watch him play the sport for so long.

Federer, who turns 41 in August, has undergone three knee operations in the last two years and has not played a competitive match since his quarterfinal defeat to Hubert Hurkacz at last year’s grass court Grand Slam.

He won the Wimbledon junior title in 1998 before turning professional the same year. Since making his debut at the grass court Grand Slam in 1999 Federer had not missed a single edition before the 2022 tournament...