After spending so many of their best years fighting on the biggest stages as they have taken their sport to unexpected heights, Roger Federer He hopes to play the final of his illustrious doubles career alongside longtime rival Rafael Nadal. “Of course,” Federer said after being asked on Wednesday whether he would like the partnership with Nadal.
“For us to have a career we’ve both gone on and come out on the other side and be able to have a nice relationship maybe a great message not just for tennis but for the sport and maybe beyond.”
After he announced last week that he was retiring At the Laver Cup in London, Federer said he would only be able to compete in my doubles due to limitations on his surgically repaired knee.
He will play one game on Friday, the competition’s opening day, and then exit after more than 1,500 matches and 20 Grand Slam titles since his debut in 1998.
“I was in a very anxious and fearful place to face the music, the media, the fans, everything,” Federer said. “Being able to talk about it in a casual way without getting emotional, just because I know how much it affects me.”
It’s not easy to retire, but Federer’s final stages were particularly complicated. His final singles match will go down as follows Brutal defeat by Hubert Hurkacz In last year’s Wimbledon quarter-final, his knee slipped as he lost the third set 6-0.
Federer underwent surgery in August and began rehab with the goal of returning to full competition, only for more complications to emerge.
“You start to get too pessimistic. Then I also got a scan that wasn’t what I wanted it to be. At some point you sit up and go: ‘Okay, we’re at an intersection here, at a crossroads, and you have to take a turn. What is the way? I wasn’t ready to go into the “let’s risk everything” trend. I’m not ready for that.”
For a long time, he was known and admired the way he was able to avoid major injuries. He said he always thought he would end his career without undergoing surgery, but had to come to terms with three knee surgeries since 2020. He says he doesn’t feel pain while playing, but the past years have left mental scars that helped guide him. to retire.
Although he considered announcing his retirement before the US Open, Federer decided he wanted to be present and ended on the right note. The Laver Cup, the event owned by his management company Team8, was a fitting venue. It’s in London O2 Arena, where he won two of his ATP Finals titles, is the city that defined his career after winning his first Wimbledon titles in 2003 and the men’s record eight Wimbledon titles.
“Having all the other guys around,” he said, “felt like I wouldn’t be alone in announcing my retirement.” “It’s not that I wanted to hijack this event or anything else, but I always feel sorry for players who sometimes retire on the tour, say, ‘I’m going to play another game,’ and then at some point you lose and you stand there very lonely.”
In his most recent event, that wouldn’t be the case. “Here I’m trying to prepare for one last doubles match, and we’ll see who it is,” he said. “I’m nervous to get in because I haven’t played in a long time. I hope to be somewhat competitive.”
