'Teary-eyed' Roger Federer bids farewell to tennis after Laver Cup 2022 loss with Nadal

41-year-old tennis legend, Roger Federer made his final on-court appearance on Friday night in the Laver Cup 2022. The 20-time Grand Slam champion teamed up with Spanish great Rafael Nadal in the men’s doubles event at the tournament, where the dup ended up facing a 6-4, 6-7 (7), 9-11 defeat. With the loss, Federer bid adieu to professional tennis by drawing curtains on his 24-year-long illustrious career. 

Playing for Team Europe, Federer and Nadal were up against the American duo of Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe in the Swiss great’s final appearance in an ATP event. Fans at the O2 Arena in London were much excited to see one of the greatest tennis players of all time playing his last game, and they cheered him with loud chants. The fans rose for a lengthy standing ovation to pay their respect to the 41-year-old, while also capturing the legendary moment on their phone cameras. 

A teary-eyed Federer then spoke in the post-match interview and shed light on his celebratory career. “It’s been a perfect journey, I would do it all over again,” Federer said. Speaking about his road to becoming a multiple-time grand slam champion after starting off as a junior champion, Federer said, “It’s been a perfect journey, I would do it all over again”.

'It felt lonely for a second when they told me to go out': Roger Federer

The Swiss great continued to credit his family for their constant support and soon broke down into tears. Meanwhile, on being asked to share his thoughts on playing alongside Djokovic, Murray and Nadal in his last match, Federer said he didn’t want to be lonely out there. “It felt lonely for a second when they told me to go out, or you wanted me to come out one more time. I feel great, but to be saying goodbye as a team – I always felt I was a team player at the heart – but singles don’t really do that a whole lot,” he said.

“I’ve had a team that travelled with me for around the world. It’s been amazing with them. So thanks to everybody who made it work for so many years. And then, of course, being on the team with Andy, Thomas, Novak, Mateo, Cam, Stefanos, Rafa and Casper and also the other team: you guys are unbelievable. It’s been a pleasure, playing all these Laver Cups. It does feel like a celebration to me. I wanted it to feel like this at the end and it’s exactly what I hoped for. So thank you,” Federer said.