Roger Federer announced on Wednesday that his last professional match will be a doubles match at the Laver Cup in London and he would like to play it alongside Rafael Nadal, before a withdrawal after which he vowed not to become a “ghost”.
The 41-year-old Swiss announced last week that he is leaving the competition, unable to regain his level after several knee operations.
When a legend retires after more than two decades, with 20 Grand Slam titles, each event is the last: last match, last press conference. Federer appeared before journalists in London before the Laver Cup, which from Friday to Sunday will face a European team made up of him, Nadal, Djokovic, Tsitsipas, Ruud and Murray, against another from the rest of the world, made up of Schwartzman, De Miñaur , Auger-Aliassime, Fritz, Tiafoe, and Sock.
Impeccably dressed in a navy blue suit and sneakers. The jacket rolled up to the elbows and a white polo shirt that highlighted his tan. Serene and slow as always, but with a mixture of sadness and relief in his voice and a look full of emotion.
He recalled his first years as a junior, starting in 1993. “We would never have thought that I would be sitting here at 41 years old giving my last press conference, remembering all the moments and games that I have played,” he said.
And he claimed to have accepted the difficult withdrawal: “The hardest part (…) is when you realize that it is the end.” “I’m not satisfied, but I’m happy with the decision, because it’s the right one and I’ve thought about it a lot.”
This will be Federer’s participation in the Laver Cup
The six players on each team in the Laver Cup, a competition Federer helped create, must play one or two of the nine singles matches scheduled over the three days.
Aware of his “limitations”, the Swiss asked to play only “one doubles on Friday night”. “Obviously I’m nervous because I haven’t played in so long,” he admitted. Later he would be replaced by the Italian Matteo Berrettini. The captains of both teams, Bjorn Borg Y John McEnroe, they agreed, he said.
This last meeting, Federer would like to play it alongside Nadal, his longest-standing rival. “It could be quite a unique situation,” he said, underscoring their mutual respect.
“Going through the career that we’ve had and (…) being able to maintain a good relationship, I think it’s a great message, not only for tennis, but for the sport and maybe even beyond,” he considered. Therefore, sharing the last balls “could be a special moment.” The organizers will announce the line-up for the first day on Thursday.
The last time Federer played on the professional circuit was the 2021 edition of Wimbledon, after which he had to undergo knee surgery for the third time.
Federer, more than a year without playing on the circuit
This July he returned to the pitch at the All England Club in London, but only to take part in the centenary celebrations of its legendary center court, and to express his desire to play there once more. However, it was not possible.
“I was getting more tired having to put in more effort to believe that I was going to turn the situation around and I started to be pessimistic, then I received a scan result that was not what I wanted,” he explained.
The past few weeks have been emotionally charged, he acknowledged, searching for the “right” words to announce his retirement and his feelings, a strange mix of “sweet and bitter.”
“The things you’ll miss are the things you’re glad you don’t have to relive,” he said, mentioning “the knots in your stomach” during the long waits before a game. And he promised that he will return to the courts soon, although he said he still does not know in what capacity.
“I just wanted the fans to know I’m not going to be a ghost,” he said, recalling how Borg himself “didn’t come back to Wimbledon for 25 years.”
He regretted never having competed against the new world number one, the Spanish Carlos Alcaraz, with whom he did train a long time ago. And he said of this new generation of tennis players, “more athletic than ever”, that even if they change the style of play “I will be his number one fan”.
SPORTS
with AFP
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