Federer’s Last Match
Federer after his last match. | Kin Cheung/Associated Press via NPR
Considered one of tennis’ “Greatest of All Time”, Swiss player Roger Federer retired from the sport on Sept. 23.
Federer played his last dance on the opening day of the Laver Cup, ending an incomparable career that spanned for 25 years and included 20 Grand Slam titles.
Prior to the Laver Cup, Federer had announced a celebration to mark his final match, saying that he wanted the atmosphere of his closing to “be fun and not funeral”. As a result, there was a celebratory atmosphere in the 17,500-capacity O2 stadium in London.
Federer concluded his days as a professional athlete with a loss in doubles beside his long-time rival and friend Rafael Nadal, against Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock.
Federer and Nadal, also nicknamed as “Fedal” to fans, almost won the match. Despite Federer not having competed in over a year due to a knee injury, the veteran pair had a match point at 9-8 in the decider, but Tiafoe and Sock took it and ended the match at 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 11-9. The defeat came in as his 1,750th competitive match.
The presence of several tennis legends in the O2, including Rod Laver, the Australian former tennis star whom the tournament is titled after, added to the excitement.
Tennis’s current world number ones, Spain’s 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz and Poland’s 21-year-old Iga Swiatek, were not present at the event, but tweeted their admiration for the Swiss player as they observed his last match on television. “Wow... Thanks RF,’’ tweeted Alcaraz, along with a heartbroken emoji. Swiatek posted, with a picture of Federer on her television and her cat by her side, “I have practice in the morning but sleep needs to wait tonight. One last time @rogerfederer”.
Federer cried as he embraced Nadal and other players after the match, including stars such as Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, and then took in the applause from the thousands of fans who chanted his name. Nadal struggled to hold back tears. The 36-year-old Spaniard cried as he held Federer’s hand.
“When Roger leaves the Tour, an important part of my life is leaving too because [of] all the moments that he [has] been next [to] or in front [of] me in important moments of my life,” Nadal exclaimed.
The Swiss player also gave a bittersweet speech of gratitude that night.
“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 stated, “I am so glad I made it through, and the match was great. I couldn’t be happier”.
He continued, “Thank you everybody. I’ve had so many people cheer me on and you guys here tonight mean the world. This is not the end-end, you know, life goes on. I’m healthy, I’m happy, everything’s great, and this is just a moment in time.”