After several days of uncertainty and speculation, the Swiss Roger Federer set a definitive date for his retirement on the courts: this Friday (time to be defined), in one of the doubles matches of the Laver Cup, it will be the last time that legendary tennis player distributes magic on a court in a professional way… And he would do it together with none other than his classic rival, the Spanish Rafael Nadal.
“I’m here to prepare for my last doubles match. I’m nervous because I haven’t played for a long time and I hope to be competitive. The rehabilitation hasn’t been easy, a lot of ups and downs, at least I’ve enjoyed being able to be at home with my family.” , confirmed the Swiss at a press conference this Wednesday in London, where the tournament will take place between September 23 and 25.
Federer, 41, had announced his retirement last Thursday and that his last tournament would be at the Laver Cup in England. However, there was no confirmation of which matches would feature his presence: “I will not be able to play singles matches, this was quite clear. That is why it was not an option to play the Basel tournament in October. I will surely play the doubles here on Friday for the night and that’s it. I asked our captain, Bjorn Borg, if it was okay for me to do that and he told me I could do whatever I wanted,” the 20-time Grand Slam winner revealed.
“It is clear that the most beautiful thing would be to play the doubles here with Nadal because it has been my great rivalry,” added the Swiss about his farewell match. It is worth clarifying that doubles pairs and heads-up duels are not yet defined.
Federer and his sadness
When asked about how he went through the decision to retire, Federer was blunt: “The knee did not evolve and I had to make the decision to retire. You are sad when you realize that it is the end. But I could forget a little when I left vacation. It was after Wimbledon that I made the decision, on vacation, this summer.”
“When I came back I started talking about the details of how to leave it, it was very stressful, finding the words. You always want to play forever, I love being on the court, traveling… It has not been something hard for me. I love my career since all the angles. But it’s sad to know that we all have to leave it at some point, “he explained.
The future, in family
Regarding his future, Federer revealed: “The first thing is to spend time with my family, with my children, with Mirka… Have a normal life. I haven’t thought much about what to do next. For example, Borg didn’t return to Wimbledon until 25 years after his retirement. I don’t think I’m like that, tennis has given me a lot, I’ve been here for a long time. I want to see people again, I wanted to let the fans know that they will be able to But I still have to think about what exactly I’m going to do.”
The Laver Cup 2022
The Laver Cup has been played since 2017 and its four editions have been won by players representing Europe. This year these are the Norwegian Casper Ruud, the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, the Serbian Novak Djokovic, the Scotsman Andy Murray, Nadal and Federer. Meanwhile, the substitute is the Italian Matteo Berrettini, who will have to replace the Swiss in his singles match since by regulation each “starter” must play in singles and doubles.
Meanwhile, for the Rest of the World there will be Diego Schwartzman from Buenos Aires, Auger-Aliassime from Canada, Álex de Miñaur from Australia and Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock from the United States. It will be captained by John McEnroe.