– I couldn’t be happier – VG

(R. Federer / R. Nadal – F Tiafoe / Ji Sock 6-4, 6-7, 9-11) There was no win for Roger Federer in the farewell match, but for the Swiss, it was a farewell to tennis. perfect.

After exploiting the match point himself, Federer and Nadal ended up losing narrowly after the so-called “super tiebreak” – first with 10 points.

Then only seconds passed before both of them melted into tears, and the other teammates, Casper Rudd among them, were visibly moved. The 25-year tennis career is over.

– We’ll get through it, right? It was a beautiful day and I told the players: “I’m happy, I’m not sad,” Federer said before setting off for a very emotional farewell interview on the field.

The 41-year-old says he is glad he got through the match without injury.

– It was a good match. I couldn’t be happier, says Federer, who several times had to take breaks so he could keep talking.

– It feels like a celebration. This was exactly what I was hoping for.

When Federer was asked about his wife, Mirka Federer and the rest of his family, feelings for the Swiss from Basel overflowed. The two met during the Sydney Olympics in 2000. After 22 years, they had four children together.

– We had so much fun together. Everyone is here, boys and girls. My wife was very supportive, says Federer, before he had to take a break.

The Laver Cup is shown on Eurosport and Discovery + . channels

– She could have stopped me a long time ago, but she didn’t. You let me continue. Federer says it’s unbelievable.

At the same time, television cameras captured both his wife and friend Nadal, who were in tears. At that point, there wasn’t any dryness in the hall at the O2 Arena.

The fact that Federer’s farewell match with Nadal was the perfect end to Switzerland’s eventful career. The duo met in a total of 14 Grand Slam finals, as a result of which Nadal had 10 wins and Federer’s four wins.

Despite their athletic rivalry, the two were good friends from start to finish.

– We have had a very good and positive relationship since the beginning. The feelings were only positive. “Over the years, they’ve gotten warmer,” Nadal said before the farewell match.

For nearly 20 years, Federer dominated tennis alongside Nadal, and a few years later Novak Djokovic scored, and together the three won an impressive 63 Grand Slam titles.

The crowd admired Federer’s kick.

Americans Francis Tiafoe and Jack Sock were on opposite sides of the farewell match. Federer and Nadal won the first set, before the Americans tied 1-1.

Thus it had to be determined in a big break. There, Team Europe led 3-0, before Sock and Tiafoe led by four points in a row. From there it was very even, but the Americans eventually won, even though Federer made a match point for Europe.

Casper Rudd opened the 2022 Laver Cup when he met Jack Sock earlier on Friday. The Norwegian won the match in an excellent tiebreak.

When Rudd scored the match point that gave Europe victory in the opening match, Federer and Nadal sat on the bench and clapped. The Norwegian admits he felt extra pressure to give the former a big farewell party.

All players will miss him. We really missed him a few years ago while he was abroad. There is positive feedback when it returns. Rudd says it brings with him a lot of joy, energy and inspiration.

– Every training session is still important to them. They don’t take anything for granted. It’s impressive, because they’ve done it all and won it all, but they’re still hungry for more. It’s something I’ll try to think about again when I grow up, he says of the team’s veterans.

Stefanos Tsitsipas followed up another win for Team Europe when they beat Diego Schwartzman. After the match, the Greek player said he sat down and watched one of Federer’s trainings recently. There he admired the veteran’s touch and ingenuity.

– Roger is Roger. He is someone who does things effortlessly. They are all role models for the younger generation, but Federer is an example of how not to do things, because if you play like Roger, you will surely fail, Tsitsipas laughs.

note: Team Europe has won four out of four copies of the Laver Cup. When Rudd debuted in the 2021 edition, they won 14-1.