Tennis legend Roger Federer isn't regretting his decision to walk away from the sport for good in the fall of 2022.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion told GQ's Zach Baron he's "really relieved" when asked about his retirement.

"I mean, the last few years have been tough with my knee," he said. "You could feel the end coming closer. So when it's all said and done and you're over the line and you're retired officially, you take a deep breath and you're like, 'Wow, okay, that was good.'"

Federer added he doesn't "miss" tennis within the context of competing professionally.

"I really don't. I feel really at peace," he said. "I think it's also because I know that my knee and my body and my mind don't allow me to be out there. Do I feel like, Oh, I could hit that shot? Yeah, okay: Maybe I could right now. But I feel like I squeezed the lemon out. I tried everything I had. And I'm so at peace."

Federer's last match was a doubles contest alongside longtime rival Rafael Nadal against Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe in the Laver Cup. After their defeat, Federer and Nadal were both overcome with emotion knowing it was the last time the Swiss was stepping onto the court.

Now far removed from that moment, Federer's perspective is both unsurprising and understandable.

The 42-year-old didn't play anything close to a full-time schedule over his last few seasons, and even that exacted a big physical toll. A third surgical procedure on his right knee was the beginning of the end.

There are numerous examples of tennis stars who stepped away relatively young and eventually felt the itch to play again. Caroline Wozniacki is one of the more recent cases, the 2018 Australian Open champion taking a hiatus in 2020 and returning ahead of the 2023 U.S. Open.

In Federer's case, he had nothing left to prove when he retired and knew full well what extending his career would require.