Tennis maestro Roger Federer said he is at peace with the decision to walk away from the game. The 41-year-old wants his farewell to be a celebration and not an emotional tribute to him. He confirmed he is partnering Spanish superstar Rafael Nadal on Friday for his last game.
Tomorrow night. My last match. Doubles with @RafaelNadal 💪🏽❤️ https://t.co/7yPwmtvTiJ
— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) September 22, 2022
“I really don’t want it to be a funeral,” Federer said. “I want it to be really happy and powerful and party mode,” he added. The Swiss legend spoke to the media ahead of the Laver Cup starting on Friday. The 20-time Grand Slam winner earlier had expressed a desire to play with Rafael Nadal in the doubles event and sign off from the game.
An honor and a real pleasure @rogerfederer 🙌🏻 https://t.co/HMVnl1Iu9b
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) September 22, 2022
The tennis great decided against playing the singles category. A former World Number 1, Federer had undergone three surgeries in the past 1.5 years, which has put his fitness in bad shape. It also forced him to bid goodbye to the game.
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Roger Federer walking in for one final time
The experienced campaigner admits he is feeling nervous, as he hasn’t played in so long. He hoped he can be competitive. The tennis titan last week announced his retirement via social media. He ran into multiple setbacks in July during his rehabilitation programme to return to the game.
🚨 Roger Federer will play his last match alongside Rafael Nadal
It's official: the FEDAL duet will play one last time on friday at Laver Cup. Roger and Rafa will face Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe. pic.twitter.com/Kz5Ay5FndF
— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) September 22, 2022
“You try to go to the next level in training, and I could feel it was getting difficult. … Then, I guess, I was also getting more tired, because you have to put more effort into it to be able to sort of believing that it was going to turn around. You get too pessimistic. Then I also got a scan back, which wasn’t what I wanted it to be,” Federer explained.
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It’s official: the last time Federer will take to the court as an active player, he will pair up with Rafa in doubles 🇨🇭🇪🇸😭 pic.twitter.com/bqgJwyHOHK
— Olly Tennis 🎾 🇬🇧 (@Olly_Tennis_) September 22, 2022
Federer added it was tough to convince his mind he was retiring. He said he felt sad the moment he realised, ‘this is the end’. Federer lost to Hubert Hurkacz in the quarterfinal of the Wimbledon in July. It will now go into the record books as his last singles match. The tennis legend won 103 titles in his remarkable career.
