After spending so many of his best years battling it out on the biggest stages while taking his sport to unprecedented levels, Roger Federer is looking forward to playing the final match of his illustrious doubles career alongside his old rival Rafael Nadal. “Of course. Without a doubt,” Federer said after being asked on Wednesday if partnering with Nadal would appeal to him.
“For us to take a career that we’ve both had and come out on the other side and be able to have a good relationship is maybe a big message not just in tennis, but in sports and maybe even beyond.”
After announcing last week that he would withdraw from the Laver Cup in London, Federer said he will only be able to compete in doubles due to limitations with his surgically repaired knee.
He will play one match on Friday, the opening day of the competition, and then finish after more than 1,500 matches and 20 Grand Slam titles since his debut in 1998.
“I was in a very worried and scared place to face the music, the media, the fans and everything,” Federer said. “Being able to talk about it normally without getting emotional, just because I know what it means to me.”
No retreat is easy, but the final stages for Federer have been particularly tricky. His final singles match will be a brutal loss to Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon last year, his knee giving out 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 arise.
“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 back and say, ‘OK, here we are at a crossroads, at a crossroads, and you have to a turn. Which way is it?’ I wasn’t ready to go in the direction of, ‘Let’s risk it all.’ I’m not ready for that.”
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For so long, he was known and admired for how he had managed to avoid major injuries. He said he always thought he would finish his career without surgery, but has had to accept three knee surgeries since 2020. He says it doesn’t hurt when he plays, but the past few years have left mental scars that helped to guide. him in retirement.
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Although he considered announcing his retirement before the US Open, Federer decided he wanted to be present and end on the right note. The Laver Cup, the event owned by his management company, Team8, was a fitting venue. It is at London’s O2 Arena, where he won two of his ATP Finals titles, and it is in the city that has defined his career after winning his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2003 and a men’s record eight Wimbledon titles.
“Having all the other guys around made it feel like I wasn’t going to be alone in announcing my retirement,” he said. “Not that I wanted to hijack this event or anything, but I always feel sorry for the players who sometimes retire on tour, say, ‘I’ll play one more game,’ then one moment you lose and there you are. All alone.”
In his latest event, that won’t be the case. “Here I am trying to prepare one last double, and we will see who it is with,” he said. “I’m nervous going in because I haven’t played in so long. I hope I can be a little competitive.”