The final match of the Swiss player’s career was also lost by Rafael Nadal, a double that holds profound emotional and symbolic meaning for both players.
The image of Roger Federer, a professional tennis player, belongs to the distant past at this point. Basel’s professional tennis career came to an end with a loss in three sets and more than two hours of play (4-6, 7-7, 11-9) at the end of a double with a scenario that was fit for a Hollywood movie. However, whatever. Even though he was forced to keep his rackets in his bag due to pain in his right knee, the 41-year-old Swiss tennis player displayed that his talent has not diminished with time when competing against his greatest opponent, Rafael Nadal. Not without a great deal of passion on this past Friday in London, during a Laver Cup double with the result eventually not being so fantastic for such a competitor.
All the opportunism of two champions
Roger Federer, for example, made it a point of honor to not concede his face-off against the American duo of Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock. This was in contrast to the American team of Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock. Without a question, the glory belongs to the victor. And with Nadal, he played a very nasty trick on his opponents during a very tight first set, which turned to the advantage of “Federal” – the contraction of the names Federer and Nadal as some like to call them so much their complicity became strong and evident over time – on their only break point. This occurred during the first set of the match between Federer and Nadal. And it just so happened that it was a set point (6-4). The opportunism that, given the fact that the pair has won a combined 42 Grand Slam titles, is hardly surprising.
Tiafoe and Sock offer fans a cut of Federer
The second set featured a dramatic showdown amid a setting that was at times heated and tumultuous but at other moments eerily quiet as if the spectators wanted to take a moment to reflect and quietly take in the significance of this moment in tennis’s long and illustrious history. The quality of the game was nothing short of fantastic, and I don’t want to give the impression that I’m trying to oversell the event. But the feeling, that’s for sure. It was more than just a peek, but it was worth it to see Federer and Nadal smiling gleefully after fending off six break point opportunities when tied at 5-5, or the Swiss player blowing out a loud “no!” after a forested forehand. After that, everything was played out during a tie-break, which Tiafoe and Sock, who were kind to the audience, ultimately won clearly (7 points to 2). History to provide the people of London and the viewers with one farewell dance.
The standing ovation rocked the British venue as the performer made his way back inside. After that point, there would be no further reduction in the decibel levels. After racing out to an early 3-0 lead, Federer and Nadal appeared to pull away quickly. Before being ruthlessly restarted with four games in a row for the Americans (3-5), including an amazing blow from Sock that the great Federer could only enjoy, the match was tied at four points each. Without recognizing that they have lost. And an increase of several notches in both the level of play and the intensity of it. The Swiss player had a match-winning opportunity on his serve, but the American doubles team prevented the match from having a joyful ending (9-9). Tiafoe had just altered history to award triumph to the rest of the world since it would have been too good otherwise (11-9). It doesn’t matter, as the focus of the emotion was elsewhere. No one wanted to go to bed at 12:30 in the morning (local time), nor did they want to sit down…