Roger Federer ended an extraordinary career at the Laver Cup. He didn’t put a winning mark on it alongside Nadal

On Friday, the 2022 Laver Cup began and one great career came to an end. Three singles matches were played during the opening day of the prestigious team competition and, above all, the tennis show, but the eyes of sports fans from all corners of the world were mainly on the evening doubles. It was there that Roger Federer, alongside his rival and friend Rafael Nadal, said goodbye to a glorious career as a professional player.

Two singles duels took care of the afternoon programme. The first, in which Casper Ruud and Jack Sock faced each other, had to be decided by a super tiebreak after sets with final scores of 6::4 and 5::7. The Norwegian tennis player won it 10::7.

A passionate activist on the court

Stefanos Tsitsipas and Diego Schwartzman then took to the hard surface of the unique black court at London’s O2 Arena. The match turned into a straightforward affair, with the Greek player winning 6: 2 and 6: 1. The match was disrupted by a climate activist who ran onto the court and started a fire. For a while, he himself was also on fire. Eventually he was taken away by security.

Andy Murray and Alex de Minaur started the evening block with a 2:0 scoreline for Team Europe captained by Björn Borg. After an even encounter, full of good and varied exchanges, it was the Aussie who won the match.

The individual acts ended with 5::7, 6::3 and 10::7 for the Sydney native. Thanks to this, John McEnroe’s world selection reduced the overall Laver Cup score to a difference of one point.

Dramatic doubles battle

After 11 p.m. CET, it was the turn of the main highlight of Friday’s action at the tournament named after the legendary Rod Laver. Another tennis icon was saying goodbye to his career. Roger Federer played his last doubles match in five years with Rafael Nadal.

In Prague in 2017, they took on the pair of Jack Sock, Sam Querrey 6::4, 1::6 and 10::4. This time too, the Fedal duo, as the Swiss-Spanish doubles star pair has come to be known, challenged the Americans. Sock’s teammate was Frances Tiafoe.

In the first set, everyone held their serve for a long time. But at 5:4, the Europeans won a break point, which was also a set point. With Tiafoe serving, Federer and Nadal managed to take advantage of it and thus win the opening set.

In the second set, the first break came quite early, and thanks to Nadal’s lost serve and Sock’s held serve, the American tennis team went up 3: 1. After a while, however, it was tied at 3:3.

With the score at 5::5, a marathon game was seen on the Spaniard’s serve, in which the European legends fended off a total of six break points. In the end, the second set had to be decided by a tiebreak. The World Team players were more successful in it and dominated it by 7::2.

Defeat at the end of an incredible career

The career of the phenomenal Swiss ended with a dramatic super tiebreak. The American players won it 11::9 after an evenly contested match. Although Roger Federer said goodbye to professional tennis with a defeat, history will always remember him as a great champion.

“It was a wonderful day. I’m happy, not sad. I’m very happy to have been here,” said the 20-time Grand Slam winner, among others, in his final on-court interview. Federer, who was overwhelmed by emotions after the match, did not forget to thank his family, fans, coaches, team and other players.

Afterwards, the organizers prepared a small ceremony. Apart from a short video, it was filled with a performance by singer Ellie Goulding. The King of Wimbledon listened to her songs close to his loved ones – parents, wife and children. One of the most compelling chapters in world sport came to a close at Laver Cup 2022.

Source: Laver Cup, Eurosport 1