Roger Federer plays his last competitive match with partner Rafael Nadal in Friday night’s doubles at Laver Cup .Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer brought the curtain down on his illustrious career in an emotion-packed Friday night session at London’s O2 Arena, finishing his final match at 25 minutes past midnight and leaving the court just before 1am amid a sea of love, tears and music in front of a capacity crowd.
Out of this world.
Quick hands from @JackSock92 gets the tick for @CreditSuisse shot of the day.#LaverCup pic.twitter.com/2jCkEdiGn5
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 24, 2022
The fairytale ending of a victory in his final match fell agonizingly short of coming true, Roger Federer and his great friend and rival Rafael Nadal failing to convert a match point before losing a knife-edge doubles to Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 7-6(2) 11-9.
Team Europe and Team World come together to celebrate @rogerfederer #LaverCup pic.twitter.com/LR3NRZD7Zo
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 24, 2022
The result leaves Laver Cup 2022 poised at 2-2 at the end of the opening day, providing ample scope for drama over the weekend. But Friday’s story was all about Roger Federer and the final chapter of a career that signs him off him as one of the greatest athletes in the history of sport, not just tennis.
Team World triumphs in the doubles.
The moment @JackSock92 and @FTiafoe defeat Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.#LaverCup pic.twitter.com/aHLDM4GCij
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 23, 2022
He was given a standing ovation as he walked into the arena at just after 10pm after a two-and-a-half-hour singles between Andy Murray and Alex de Minaur, and as if to emphasize the enormity of the occasion, Tiafoe shook hands with Federer after the coin toss. It ended two-and-a-quarter hours later with Sock wrong-footing Nadal with a forehand up the alley, but from then on the American pair took a back seat as the show belonged to Federer.
The one, the only @rogerfederer. #LaverCup pic.twitter.com/DIudykDUNn
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 23, 2022
He struggled through a tearful on-court interview he said , “It’s been a wonderful day – I’m happy, not sad. I enjoyed tying my shoes one more time, I knew everything I did was going to be for the last time. I feared something would go wrong – my calf would go or my back would lock – but I made it through.”
If there's one thing you watch today, make it this.#LaverCup | @rogerfederer pic.twitter.com/Ks9JqEeR6B
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 23, 2022
With the 17,000-seater arena filled to capacity with the clock ticking past midnight, Federer was serenaded into retirement by the pop singer Ellie Goulding, who sang “Still falling for you” and “Fire and ice”.
The match itself was the perfect way for Federer to go out. A win would have been the icing on the cake, but everything was there to allow him to depart with flashes of the brilliance for which he has become known and loved, but with enough for everyone to see that his time really is up.
His game was still there. He served regularly above 120mph, his groundstrokes were in fine fettle (even if a few forehands landed well beyond their target), his reflexes were good enough for him to play some crisp volleys, and his positioning was textbook.
The half hour after the match was an unashamed Federer-Fest. Both teams congratulated him twice, he struggled tearfully through his interview with Courier, and paid tribute to his family, in particular his wife Mirka, who he said “allowed me to play when she could so easily have asked me to stop”. As Goulding sang “Fire and ice”, Federer hugged Mirka, his four children, and his parents, before doing a lap of honor around a still almost-full stadium as the clock ticked towards 1am.
“It does feel like a celebration,” he told the crowd, “it’s what I wanted it to be, so thank you. It’s been a perfect journey, I’d do it all over again.” Most people in the tennis world would love to see it all over again.
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