Roger Federer bid farewell to professional tennis after teaming up with fellow great Rafael Nadal on an emotional night at the Laver Cup.
The 41-year-old received a long standing ovation after walking off the court for the last time as he retired as a professional.
Having won 20 Grand Slam singles titles, the Swiss player is considered one of the greatest players in tennis history.
“It’s been a wonderful day. I’m happy, not sad. It’s great to be here. I’m glad I got it done,” he said.
Federer wept as he hugged Nadal and other players, then received a standing ovation from thousands of fans chanting his name at London’s O2 Arena.
Nadal also could not stop the tears. The 36-year-old Spaniard broke down in tears as he sat next to Federer as the pair listened to British singer Ellie Goulding, who kicked off a memorable night with a performance.
Federer and Nadal – for the longest time rivals in the men’s game – joined forces to play doubles against American duo Jack Sock and Francis Tiafoe in the annual team event between Europe and the rest of the world.
Despite Federer not having played competitively for more than a year, the veteran duo pushed Sock and Tiafoe before losing 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 11-9 as the Team World opener. At the end of 2-2 equalized the competition. Day
Federer and Nadal – affectionately nicknamed ‘Fidel’ – almost won. The pair were tied at 9-8 at the decider, but Federer could only lunge for a forehand that he pushed into the net.
The defeat brought the former world number one’s 25-year professional career to an end after his 1,750th competitive match in singles and doubles.
“It’s been the best journey. I’d do it all over again,” Federer said, fighting back tears during his on-court speech.
Federer celebrated the retirement he wanted.
Federer’s career had been on a long downward spiral, battling a knee injury for the past two years and requiring three operations to overcome the problem.
He had not played a competitive match since losing to Poland’s Hubert Harkaz in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon last year.
Despite being limited to just three of the 11 Grand Slams since the start of 2020, he expressed hope that he could still return to the big tournaments in July.
But, after more bad news emerged following a scan, Federer announced last week that he was going to retire because his “body’s message has recently become clear”.
Federer had talked about throwing a party on the eve of his final match, saying he wanted the occasion to be fun and not a funeral.
As he wished, the 17,500-capacity arena had a celebratory atmosphere.
Major numbers in Federer’s career
20 Grand Slam singles titles 310 weeks as world number one
103 ATP titles 28 Masters 1,000 titles
6 ATP Finals victories 31 Grand Slam Finals
1 Davis Cup win £114m career prize money
Watched by his wife Mirka, their four children, and his parents Robert and Lynette, Federer’s every move was greeted with a mixture of joy and sympathy.
The family then joined him during an emotional celebration on court, which saw plenty of tears and Federer being waved high by his teammates.
“Everybody is here, boys and girls. My wife has helped a lot. She could have stopped me a long time ago, but she didn’t,” Federer said.
“He kept me going and allowed me to play, so that’s amazing – thanks.”
The event was attended by many tennis legends including Rod Lever, along with celebrities including Hollywood actor Hugh Grant and Vogue editor Anna Wintour.
Like Federer’s Swiss Davis Cup teammate Stan Wawrinka, the current world number one, Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Svetek, expressed their feelings while watching the match on television.
Who’s watching ? 🍿😭@rogerfederer @RafaelNadal @LaverCup pic.twitter.com/4oEqQWTSrV
— Stanislas Wawrinka (@stanwawrinka) September 23, 2022
Federer was only fit enough to play doubles because of a knee injury and his movement was limited.
Afterwards, he joked he was happy to get through the match without pulling a muscle in his calf or back.
“Being with the guys and having family and friends, I didn’t feel the stress so much even if I felt something would go during the match,” Federer said.
“I am so glad I made it through and the match was great. I couldn’t be happier.”
