Team Europe’s Roger Federer is lifted by fellow tennis players after playing Rafael Nadal in a Laver Cup doubles match against Team World’s Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe at the O2 Arena in London, Friday, Aug. September 23.
Kin Cheung / AP
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Kin Cheung / AP
Team Europe’s Roger Federer is lifted by fellow tennis players after playing Rafael Nadal in a Laver Cup doubles match against Team World’s Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe at the O2 Arena in London, Friday, Aug. September 23.
Kin Cheung / AP
LONDON – This day, this match must, of course, go to Roger Federer, and for tennis, just as it must happen to every athlete in every sport.
Federer plays Friday night with one last match before he retires at the age of 41 after a stellar career that spanned nearly a quarter of a century and included 20 Grand Slam titles and a role as a statesman. He ended his days as a professional with a doubles loss alongside longtime rival Rafael Nadal for Team Europe in the Laver Cup to Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock of Team World.
The truth is that the winners, stats, and scores (OK, for a record 4-6, 7-6 (2), 11-9) don’t matter, and all of that doesn’t matter at all. important.
After all, the chance is about the breakup. Or better parting words, plural: Federer is for tennis, for fans, for his opponents and colleagues. And, naturally, each of those entities parted ways with Federer.
“It was a perfect journey,” said Federer. “I’ll do it all over again.”
When the match and with it, his time as a professional tennis player ended, Federer hugged Nadal, then Tiafoe and Sock. And then Federer started to cry. There are a lot of tears to go around; Nadal also wipes himself. As a series of applause and emotional screams rang out from the stands, Federer put his hands on his hips, his chest heaving. He then exclaims, “Thank you,” while clapping his hands right at the audience who chanted, “Let’s go, Roger! Let’s go!” in the closing moments of a match that lasted more than two hours and ended around 12:30 a.m.
His wife, Mirka, their four children – a twin girl and a twin boy – and Federer’s parents later joined him on the court for hugs and, yes, more arguments. Members of both teams came together to lift Federer into the air.
“It was a great day. I told you I was happy; I was not sad,” Federer said. “I would love to tie my shoelaces one more time. Everything is the last time.”
The Swiss star announced last week that the three-day team event, set up by his management company, would be his last before retiring, then said It is clear that the doubles match will be the last one. His right knee had surgery to repair – the last of the three surgeries came shortly after the Wimbledon quarter-final loss in July 2021, which will come down when he officially leaves the singles tournament – inability to allow him to continue.
“For me, just for me personally, (it’s) sad in the first moment, when I came to the conclusion that it was the best decision,” Federer said in an interview with The Associated Press this week about his feelings. his emotions when he realized it was time to leave. . “I tried to hold out at first, then fought with it. But I could feel the pain.”
He has said he wants this to feel more like a party than a funeral, and the crowd obliged, rising to a long and standing ovation as Federer and Nadal, 36 – each wore white bandanna, blue shirt and white shorts – emerge together from a tunnel leading to the black field for the final match on Day 1 at the O2 Arena. They remained standing for nearly 10 minutes, throughout the warm-up before the game, holding the camera on their phone to capture the moment.
They were ready to shout for him, some with Swiss flags, some with homemade signs (“Idol Forever” reads as one), and they made themselves heard with a wall of sound as Federer made his shot. The forehand volley won the second point of the match. Similar reactions appeared only at the presiding referee’s announcement before the third match “Roger Federer serves”, and again when he finished that match with the winner serving 117 mph.
“Obviously 99.9% of the crowd was against us. But it was fun to be just a part of that game. I think we’ll be forever grateful to be a part of the final game. end of GOAT,” Sock said, using the acronym for “Greatest of All-Time.”
Of course, doubles requires less movement and coverage on the court, so pressure on Federer’s knees was limited on Friday. He showed off his old flair, sure, and rusty, as expected.
Some of the previous hits were a few feet long. There was also a forehand that slipped right between Sock and Tiafoe and seemed too good to be true – and it turned out: The ball went through a gap below the net and so Federer and Nadal stole the point.
Although this match was essentially a tribute show, all four doubles participants played as if they wanted to win. That’s evident when Sock, the 29-year-old major three-time doubles champion, jumps and screams after a particularly brilliant volley or when Tiafoe, 24, lands a few hits right in Federer and Nadal.
But circumstances have allowed for brief moments.
Federer and Nadal were able to laugh after a moment of confusion over where to serve they had lost. After Nadal somehow hit the post with a header, only to have it land barely wide, Tiafoe, the US Open semi-finalist, crossed over to extend his hand with congratulations for the effort. .
In the first set, the older duo couldn’t hear each other between points, so Federer trotted from the net back to the bottom line to consult Nadal, then pointed at his ear to get out. What is the problem signal.
Before Federer started winning Grand Slam titles in 2003, the men’s mark for most major tennis championships was Pete Sampras’ 14. Federer surpassed that, amassing eight at Wimbledon, six at the Australian Open, five at the US Open and one at the French Open, setting a new standard that Nadal, now with 22, and Novak Djokovic, with 21 , equal, then crossed, as part of a golden era for the sport.
Sure, there are those who will be especially interested in watching Federer shoot through the net of Nadal, often an enemy on the court but ultimately a friend off the court. Perhaps it could be about 15 miles away at the All England Club’s Center Court, or at Philippe Chatrier Court at Roland Garros, or Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park, or even the Courtyard. lobbied Arthur Ashe, the center of the US Open, the only Grand Slam they’ve never faced, somehow.
Perhaps they could have provided everyone with a final piece of head-to-head matchup as memorable as any in the long history of their sport – or, indeed, any match. any other match.
Roger vs. Rafa – just a name – belongs there with McEnroe vs. Borg (as it happens, two Laver Cup captains, John and Bjorn), Evert vs. Navratilova, Sampras vs. Agassi, Ali vs. Frazier, Magic vs. Bird, Brady vs. Manning, etc.
Over the years, Federer and Nadal have showcased individual greats and compelling contrasts across their 40 matches, 14 at Grand Slams, 9 major finals: forehand versus fore hands, attackers and grinders, seeming effort versus relentless intensity.
And yet, there is an unmistakable poetic element that these two men challenged each other and raised the bar as they performed as partners, clapping and sharing smiles.
This farewell follows the farewell of Serena Williams, the owner of 23 major singles championships, at the US Open three weeks ago after a third-round loss. It leaves questions about the future of a game he and she have dominated, and overcame, for decades.
One key difference: Every time Williams goes to court in New York, the looming question is how long her stay will last — a “win or like this” prospect.
Friday IS that for Federer, regardless of the outcome.
“All the players will miss him,” said Casper Ruud, who beat Sock in singles 6-4, 5-7, 10-7.
Other results for the day, leaving Team Europe and Team World drawn at 2-2: Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Diego Schwartzman 6-2, 6-1 in a match that was briefly interrupted when one Environmental protesters set a piece of the yard on fire and his own arm burned, and Alex de Minaur overtook Andy Murray 5-7, 6-3, 10-7.
Due to start playing shortly after Murray lost the match, Federer and Nadal first gave him some coaching tips, then watched part of it together on TV in a room at the arena, waiting. it’s turn. As Federer and Nadal competed, it was Djokovic’s turn to suggest tactics.
The final hurdle came after a career total of 103 singles titles and 1,251 singles wins for Federer, both second only to Jimmy Connors in the Open era, which began in 1968.
At the height of his power, Federer had a record 10 consecutive Grand Slam finals, winning 8, from 2005-07. Extend that to 2010, and he’s reached 18/19 major finals.
More than those numbers, people will remember the powerful forehand, one-handed backhand, perfect footwork, spectacular serve and eagerness to get into the net, willingness to reinvent. aspects of his game and – the part he’s most proud of – unusual longevity. In addition to the elegance and efficiency of his grip, Federer’s personality has made him an ambassador for tennis, one whose immense popularity has helped attract fans.
“For me, it feels like a celebration,” Federer said before walking what looked like a victory lap around the venue, kissing and waving. “I finally wanted to feel like this, and that’s exactly what I was hoping for.”
