One Year Later: Federer Reflects On His Retirement Match At Laver Cup

| by Nurein Ahmed

20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer recounted his farewell match at last year's Laver Cup, calling his last hurrah a 'beautiful' and 'perfect' way to go out.

In 2022, Federer picked up his racket one final time before retiring for good, taking to the doubles court with his greatest rival and friend Rafael Nadal in London's O2 Arena. It was a poignant swansong to what had been a storied career so cruelly ended due to a knee injury.

Federer would still be playing had it not been for injury, according to his ex-coach Ivan Ljubicic, but the Swiss legend held no regrets 12 months later as he recounted his farewell match in front of a packed house in Vancouver, Canada, where he is a bystander at this year's Laver Cup.

But he garnished the opening day of the 2023 tournament with his presence in the middle of the court in a special Q&A session, that was chaired by former player and tennis pundit Jim Courier. Federer began the plenary by thanking the crowd.

Ruud Shares Nerve-Wracking Experience Playing In Front Of Big Four At 2022 Laver Cup
Ruud Shares Nerve-Wracking Experience Playing In Front Of Big Four At 2022 Laver Cup

"It's been a great year first, and it's nice to see you all. Thank you for coming to the Laver Cup. And it's great to be back at the Laver Cup."

Federer described his farewell as beautiful and perfect, but equally emotional given the 'suffering' involved. The 42-year-old revealed that he sensed that the ending was nigh, but was happy with how it all panned out, getting to share the stage with fellow players and family members in front of a watching public, something the great tennis players from the past didn't get the privilege of experiencing.

" One year later if I look back at the memories I thought the farewell was beautiful it was perfect it was emotional some proper suffering going on throughout my talk with you. The moments spent with the team in London, with fans, the family I don't think it could have been any nicer. I was always dreading the moment for years because I knew it was gonna come."

"Sometimes when we see our tennis heroes we don't remember actually how they went out all we remember was the great things they did for tennis. And I was just worried that my end was somehow gonna be not nice. It was the opposite. It was great I felt good about it and very happy and something I guess I was very lucky to experience."

WATCH: Nadal Puts Federer On Spot During Laver Cup Special Q&A Session
WATCH: Nadal Puts Federer On Spot During Laver Cup Special Q&A Session

Read the full article

Just in

Look at more articles