Roger Federer looks to cap off his illustrious career by taking on long-time rival Rafael Nadal at the Lever Cup in London on Friday.
The 20-time Grand Slam winner announced last week that he plans to retire after the three-day tournament at London’s 02 arena starting on Friday.
Federer, whose most recent competitive match was a loss to Hubert Herkaz in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon last year, has been dealing with knee problems.
The Swiss great confirmed on Wednesday that the final match of his long and illustrious career will be in the doubles on Friday evening.
Italian Matteo Berretini, the first substitute for the tournament that pits Team Europe against Team World, will then replace Federer later in the week.
The Swiss great still doesn’t know if he will be able to connect with Nadal but said it would be a dream scenario.
“Of course, no doubt,” he told a packed press conference at the O2. “I mean, I think it could be a pretty unique situation, you know, if that were to happen.”
Federer said he and Nadal, 36, have always maintained respect for each other even as they competed for the biggest trophy in the game.
“For us to go through a career that we both had and come out the other side and be able to have a good relationship I think is a great message for not only tennis but the sport and maybe beyond. “He said.
“That’s why I think it’s going to be great. I don’t know if it’s going to happen, but I think it could obviously be a special moment.
Nadal, who holds the record for men’s tennis Grand Slam titles with 22, Novak Djokovic, who has won 21, and three-time major winner Andy Murray are part of the six-man Team Europe, captained by Bjorn Borg.
His opponents, Team World, led by John McEnroe, include Taylor Fritz, Felix Auger-Eliasime and Diego Schwartzman.
‘bitter’
Federer said he was happy to retire from tennis at the age of 41 but admitted it was a “bittersweet decision”.
“You always want to play forever,” he said. “I love being out on the court, I love playing against guys, I love traveling.
“I never really felt like it was so hard for me to win, learn from losing, it was all perfect. I love my career from every angle.”
The Swiss said he was happy with his place in the debate about who is the greatest of all time in the men’s game even though his tally of Grand Slam titles has been eclipsed by Nadal and Djokovic.
“I’m definitely very proud and very happy where I sit,” he said.
“Of course one of my big moments was winning my 15th Slam at Wimbledon, you know, when Pete (Sampra, who won a then-record 14) was sitting there. Anything after that was a bonus.”
Federer said it was fitting that he end his career in London, where he has achieved so much success.
“This city has been special to me, probably the most special place with Wimbledon down the road and here at the O2. After playing here and qualifying for so many years and winning here (at the ATP Finals), I thought That it is very suitable.
He said he had no intention of disappearing from the radar despite his retirement.
“I just wanted to let the fans know that I’m not going to be a ghost, you know. It’s funny, you know, I just talked about Bjorn Borg earlier.
“I don’t think he came back to Wimbledon for 25 years. That, in a way, hurts every tennis fan. Totally acceptable, his life, his reasons.
“But I don’t think I’ll be that guy and I think tennis has given me a lot. I’ve been around the game for a long time, I’ve fallen in love with a lot of things.
