federer: Roger Federer’s goodbye will be in doubles, maybe with Nadal

Roger Federer is known for his style of play, for his longevity, for his 20 Grand Slam titles – and for his occasional tears in his most emotional moments after the match, whether after a win or a loss. There was no such sadness on Wednesday, just smiled and cracked some jokes on his own, as Federer appeared at a news conference to discuss his retirement from professional tennis after a knee operation at the age of 41 . He will end his career with a doubles match at the Laver Cup on Friday – probably with longtime rival Rafael Nadal.

Federer said he is now at peace with the decision to walk away, which comes weeks after Serena Williams is expected to be her last at the US Open, and wants the farewell to be a celebration.

“I really don’t want it to be a funeral,” Federer said.

“I want it to be really happy and powerful and party mode.”

Dressed in a blue blazer with sleeves rolled up to the elbow and a white polo shirt, Federer spent nearly half an hour taking questions in the arena, which will host a team event set up by his management company.

“I’m terrified to go in, because I haven’t played in so long,” he said.

“I hope I can be somewhat competitive.”

Federer, who announced last week via social media that he would retire after the Laver Cup, said it took him a while to get used to the idea of ​​being away from the competition.

But it was something he understood he needed to do during his rehabilitation in July after running into setbacks during his third surgery on his right knee in nearly 1 1/2 years.

“You try to go to the next level in training, and I could feel it was going to be difficult. … Believe it was going to turn around. You start being too pessimistic. Then I got a scan. Got back too, which I didn’t want it to be,” Federer explained.

“At some point, you sit down and go, OK, we’re at a crossroads here, at a crossroads, and you have to take a turn. Which way is it?’ I was unwilling to go in this direction: ‘Let’s risk it all.’ I’m not ready for it. I always said that was never my goal.”

And the hardest part came when he knew he needed to stop.

“You’re sad,” Federer said, “at the very moment you realize, well, this is the end.'”

His last knee procedure came shortly after his quarterfinal loss to Hubert Herkaz at Wimbledon in July 2021, which would go into the books as the final singles match of an illustrious career that began in the 1990s and would include 103 tournament titles, one Davis Championships, Olympic medals and hundreds of weeks at No. 1 in the ATP rankings for the Cup Switzerland.

In his online farewell message last week, Federer referred to retirement as a “bitter decision”.

On Wednesday, he was asked which aspect was the bitterest and which was the sweetest.

“Bitterness: You’ve always wanted to play forever,” he said.

“I love being out on the court. I love playing against guys. I love traveling. … It was perfect. I love my career from every angle.”

And then he added: “The funny thing was that I know everyone has to do it at one point; everyone has to leave the sport. It’s been a great, great journey. For that, I’m really grateful.” Am.”

He will play doubles for Team Europe against Team World on the first day of the event, then replace 2021 Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini for singles on the weekend. Federer said the plan was spearheaded by the ATP and both team captains John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg.

As for the last storm for your duet partner? Federer wouldn’t say for sure – he said it was up to Borg – but the not-so-hidden secret is that it is expected to be Nadal, who holds the men’s record of 22 major championships.

Back in February, when word surfaced that Federer would be in London this week, he said Nadal had messaged him last year that they would play doubles together again. They teamed up to win the doubles match during the first Laver Cup in 2017.

“If we are able to share the court once again as a doubles pair, it will be a really special experience for both of us at this stage in our careers,” Nadal said in February.

While Federer’s other contemporaries and stars of the sport are in Team Europe, such as 21-time Slam winner Novak Djokovic and three-time major winner Andy Murray, the Federer versus Nadal matchup will go down in history as the greatest rivalry. Tennis or any other sport.

He played 40 times in total (Nadal won 26), with 14 Grand Slam matchups (Nadal won 10). Nadal came out on top in his 2008 classic Wimbledon final, considered the greatest match in history; Federer’s last appearance was in the semi-final of 2019 at the All England Club.

“It could be quite, I don’t know, a unique situation, if it were to happen,” Federer said of the pair.

“For us, at the same time, going through the careers of both of us and being able to come out on the other side and build a good relationship, I think, is probably a great message, as well, not only for tennis but sports and maybe even more than that.” Even further.”

As for his future?

The father of two sets of twins – girls 13, boys 8 – wouldn’t say exactly what he planned, other than a vacation, but did say he’d be involved with tennis in some capacity.

Federer tried to reassure his fans by saying: “I won’t be a ghost,” recalling the way Borg stayed away from the sport for years after his retirement.

Originally published at Pen 18