September 23 will forever be marked as the day of the legend’s farewell, who put an end to a unique era in tennis accompanied by his great rival and friend Rafa Nadal.
The Swiss star and the Balearic star fell to the North Americans Tiafoe and Sock 4-6, 7-6 (7-2) and 11-9 in the ‘super tie break’ that decided the match after losing a ‘match ball’ with Federer serve.
The day of bye It came even though no one wanted it. Roger Federer he had endured his emotions until the last point but after giving up the last point he collapsed to hug John McEnroe. The 20,000 fans at the O2 Arena gave him a standing ovation. It was the goodbye of a sports giant. He had missed a match ball at 9-8 and served in his power. He had tried the ‘ace’ that was missed by millimeters, but the Americans Jack Sock y Francis Tiafoe They won 4-6, 7-6 (7-2) and 11-9 to give the point that left the first day of the Laver Cup tied 2-2 between Europe and the Rest of the World.
The one, the only @rogerfederer. #LaverCup pic.twitter.com/DIudykDUNn
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 23, 2022
Little did that result matter. Nobody was going to make Federer’s party bitter, although he celebrated it with tears. It was no funeral. She didn’t want that. They were tears of joy that he spread by hugging an emotional Rafael Nadal with whom he had shared the last dance on a dance floor, applauding happily to live that moment also with the rest of the European team, who could not avoid the emotion of a day unique in the history of tennis. September 23 will be marked as the final party for the farewell of a legend, a sports giant.
And at that party, at the O2 Arena, there were fans who paid up to 50,000 euros to attend Federer’s last dance. The 20,000 tickets were sold out for months and long before Federer confirmed his presence and his farewell at the tournament he devised and launched in 2017 under the name of Rod Laverpresent in the box at 84 years old, the last winner of the Grand Slam (1962 and 1969), idol of the Swiss tennis player.
“I am glad to play tennis. It has been a perfect trip and I would do it again”
Roger Federer
His parents, Lynett and Robert; His wife, Mirka, and his four children also celebrated his announced farewell from the circuit, although not from tennis, from the stands. “I am happy, immensely happy. It has been wonderful to be able to play this game and be with everyone. glad to play tennis. It has been a perfect trip and I would do it again”he said on the track to a former number 1, Jim Courierwho also wanted to be present at this farewell.
Please welcome to the black court, Team Europe’s @rogerfederer and @Rafael Nadal. #LaverCup pic.twitter.com/lnX3hOTMQc
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 23, 2022
1,750 games since 1998
From the tournament Wimbledon this year Federer, did not play a match, before jumping onto the court to face them he ended a career with 1,750 matches played, of them 224 doubles (8 titles, the last one the gold medal), since he made his debut on the circuit in 1998 at the Gstaad tournament, ranked 702nd in the world, at the age of 17. After more than two decades Wilson hangs his racket with 103 titles (53 finals) including 20 Grand Slams, 28 Masters 1,000 and a Davis Cup. A long and productive road he has been on for 310 weeks at the top of the ranking of the ATP and has finished the year five times as number 1.
Shirts off for Fedal. #LaverCup | @usopen | @cameroncheers pic.twitter.com/D8NGhBiP7E
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 23, 2022
Until the last day, the last blow, Federer has maintained his elegance on a tennis court and a behavior that has not prevented him from winning and accumulating titles. A philosophy of life that he decided to adopt after a rebellious first few years. «I did not feel good with that way of proceeding», the tennis player has recognized these days to explain his radical change of attitude. Federer has been the standard on the track of a fight without anger, of respect for the opponent and even of friendship with his rivals.
emotional farewell
Your farewell letter shows that special charisma for which the tennis player is admired beyond the courts. “I want to give thanks to my rivals on the track I have been very lucky to play many epic matches that I will never forget. We fight fairly passion and intensity. I always gave my maximum to respect the history of this sport. I feel extremely grateful. We push each other and together we take tennis to new levels,” he wrote.
Some fans paid up to 50,000 euros to experience the historic night in London.
In London, a few miles from his garden Wimbledon, where he would have liked to play one last match, Federer has been surrounded by his great rivals for 24 years in which they have shared a whopping 66 Grand Slams. “Probably one of the most iconic athletes in history. If we talk about perfection on the tennis court, it’s him, “said Nadal at the Laver Cup gala dinner that all the players shared the day before.
the greatest rival
Federer chose Nadal as his partner for a unique and historic night after he announced his retirement from tennis on September 15. The Majorcan, about to become a father, did not want to miss the party at the O2 Arena and share the moment with his greatest rival. Since Federer met and lost for the first time in Miami (2004), Nadal has been the rival who has made his existence more bitter for the Swiss. In 40 occasions that they have faced each other, Nadal has won 24 games against him, 10 of them in Grand Slam tournaments.
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Federer did not manage to win his only Roland Garros (2009) until the day the Mallorcan did not await him in his four finals in Paris. At Wimbledon, where Federer dominates his matchup with Nadal (3-1), the Swiss gave him the crown in 2008 and, weeks later, number 1 for the first time. Of all these battles, the final won by the Swiss in Australia (2017), perhaps it is the match that allowed Federer to continue on the circuit until his goodbye at the age of 41.
The first day
Before Federer’s farewell, the Norwegian Casper Ruud, world number 2, gave the first point to Europe with his victory against the American Jack Sock by 6-4, 5-7 and 10-7, in the decisive ‘super tie break’. the greek Stefanos Tsitsipas won the second against the Argentine Diego Schwartzman 6-2 and 6-1, while the Australian Alex DeMiñaur opened the account of the Rest of the World team by beating the Scotsman Andy Murray, the local idol, by 7-5, 3-6 and 10-7.