Swiss legend Roger Federer concluded his career with a defeat and tears of farewell after playing his final match before retirement. He competed alongside his rival Spanish player Rafael Nadal in a doubles match at the Laver Cup, which features teams from Europe and the rest of the world. The match took place at the O2 Arena in London, marking Federer's first participation since the quarter-finals of Wimbledon in 2021, due to injuries that plagued his knee and ultimately led him to the decision to retire.
The 41-year-old ended his career alongside Nadal, who has become a friend, in a doubles match against Americans Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock, which they lost 6-4, 6-7 (2-7), and 9-11, making the score 2-2 between the teams after the first day of the three-day event.
With tears in his eyes, Federer said during his farewell, "We will get through this (farewell sadness) somehow. It was a wonderful day. I told the guys I am happy and not sad." He continued, "It's a great feeling to be here. I enjoyed tying my shoelaces one last time. Everything was for the last time," adding, "Playing next to Rafa and having all the greats here, all the legends, thank you."
Due to his ongoing injury struggles, Federer's final participation before retirement was limited to doubles, and he did not compete in singles. Over 15 years, Federer and Nadal penned the most exciting chapter in the sport's history, in a rivalry characterized by contrasting styles, with Nadal ultimately coming out on top on clay courts.
In their head-to-head encounters, Nadal leads 24-16 over Federer since their remarkable rivalry began in 2004. Back then, Nadal was just seventeen and shocked the newly ranked world number one Federer by defeating him in Miami, reaching the semi-finals of Wimbledon 2019 which was won by Federer.
The peak of their encounters was the 2008 final on English grass, where Nadal had previously lost a final in five sets and succeeded in halting Federer's five consecutive titles in a legendary match lasting nearly five hours. This encounter is among the most famous in tennis history, alongside Borg and McEnroe's match in the same venue in 1980. There were other high-profile matches, such as the 2009 Australian Open final when Federer could not hold back his tears after losing in five sets, and the match he won eight years later, making a remarkable comeback after his star had faded for about six years.
But now "we will be facing a different kind of pressure after all the wonderful things we shared together on and off the court," Nadal stated. After addressing his wife and family for their support, Federer reflected that his last match "makes me feel we are having a celebration. It has been a wonderful journey."
Federer and Nadal entered the doubles match right after Australian Alex de Minaur secured the first point for Team World by defeating British player Andy Murray 5-7, 6-3, 10-7 in the third singles match. Norwegian Casper Ruud, ranked second in the world, gave Europe the lead by defeating American Jack Sock, ranked 126th, 6-4, 5-7, 10-7, maintaining the European team's dominance in the opening matches of the tournament in its previous four editions.
Ruud managed to break Sock's serve in the first game of the first set, but the latter responded by narrowing the gap to 4-5 before losing his serve again, allowing Ruud to take the set 6-4 in 41 minutes. The second set was quite even, with the score tied at 5-5 before Sock won the eleventh and twelfth games to finish it 7-5. In the deciding set that uses the "super tie-break" format, where the player who reaches 10 points first wins, the Norwegian had the final word at 10-7 after overcoming an early deficit of 0-3.
Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas extended Europe's lead by defeating Argentine Diego Schwartzman 6-2, 6-1 in the second singles match. Tsitsipas, ranked sixth in the world, broke Schwartzman's serve twice in the first set and won it 6-2 in 36 minutes, before easily closing the second set 6-1.
The match was briefly halted when an activist stormed the court and attempted to set his arm on fire in protest against private jets. According to the tournament rules, each team earns one point for every victory on the first day, two points for wins on the second day, and three points for wins on the third day. The first team to accumulate 13 points wins the tournament. Four matches are held each day, with a total of 24 points at stake.
