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40 games. Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal have met 40 times in their respective careers: the first duel was in March 2004, in the third round of the Miami Masters, and the last was in 2019, in the Wimbledon semifinals. Federer has won 16 times, Nadal won 24 times. 24 of the matches between the two were finals, with the Spaniard maintaining the superiority over the Swiss with 14-10. This Friday, at the Laver Cup, they entered the court at the same time, not for game 41, but to pair up in the last game of Roger Federer’s career.
“After all the amazing things we share on and off the field, being a part of this historic moment will be incredible and unforgettable for me. I hope to have a good opportunity to play at a decent level and I hope that together we can give a good to show and maybe win the match. I hope the public supports us and has fun. Be in courtWith Roger by my side, it will be something very special and I am very happy about that.” Rafa Nadal said at a press conference, already in London, before the match.
He was aggressive and impulsive, he was calm and elegant: what changed in Federer’s history for Federer to change history
Federer indicated last week, when he announced the end of his career, that he would bid farewell to this weekend’s Laver Cup. Days later he ended up confirming that the last match would be in the doubles tournament, since he did not feel in a position to act in the individual team, revealing later that he would form a duo with Rafa Nadal. “I will be nervous. People think not, but I haven’t played in a long time! I will not be at my best. I’m going to miss things I won’t have to do again. Adjust my shoes, put on my headband, look in the mirror and say, ‘We’re ready.’ I’ve been through tough times, where I couldn’t talk about it without getting emotional. I went through several phases… I want to be happy and in party mode”, explained the Swiss in statements to Eurosport.
And the party mode was always present. In addition to the photograph that stopped social networks, in which Roger Federer revealed a dinner with “friends” Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, the Swiss appeared in a nice cavaqueira with the same three tennis players during a training session, he played table tennis tuxedo before the gala of the tournament that he himself imagined and received a standing ovation at the opening of the Laver Cup, hours before going into action. This Friday, for the last time, he joined Nadal and represented Team Europe, led by Björn Borg; on the other side were Frances Tiafoe and John Sock, from the World Team, led by John McEnroe.
four rivals. Four teammates. Four friends.#LaverCup pic.twitter.com/qCWvtYXurw
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 22, 2022
At the O2 Arena in London, Nobody was indifferent to the fact that Roger Federer was a few minutes away from ending a career of more than 20 years. All the tennis players who played first mentioned the obvious, the atmosphere in the stands was naturally one of anxiety and even Rolex, a long-time partner of the ATP Tour and right-hand man of the Swiss himself, prepared a special announcement for the broadcast. to honor the athlete under the slogan #perpetual – perpetual.
The match turned out to be much more competitive than expected, with neither pair giving up the fight for victory despite the notorious good humor on the pitch. Federer and Nadal won the first establish (6-4) and the game led to everything — even for Frances Tiafoe, midway through the second establishto switch sides to greet the Spaniard after he came so close to catching a ball that would be extraordinary. However, as decisions neared, the competitive level increased and smiles gave way to darker faces and more intense conversations between teammates.
A work of double art.#LaverCup | @Rafael Nadal | @eurosport pic.twitter.com/DcQ5bs850m
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 23, 2022
in a second establish More physically demanding, Federer and Nadal once again demonstrated that they are competitive monsters but they could not avoid the draw (6-7), with the next match for a decisive match tiebreaker. Then, when it was time to grit their teeth, the more experienced still wasted a turning point but they did not survive the opponents, losing to Tiafoe and Sock (9-11) and missing out on the Swiss’ last victory. And in the end, almost as if he were a novelist writing history, Nadal was the last to hug tennis player Federer and the first to hug ex-tennis player Federer.
With the game over, it was time to open the door to emotions. Roger Federer finally let the tears fall, as did his parents, his wife and even Nadal, and sat down to absorb an O2 Arena that applauded him in unison. “I’ll manage to do this somehow, won’t I? It has been a wonderful day. I am happy, I am not sad. It’s great to be here. I took the opportunity to tighten my shoes once again, it was all for the last time. I didn’t even feel the stress. I’m so glad I was able to play the game to the end, it was great. And of course, playing with Rafa, being here with the boys, all the legends, is really fantastic”, the Swiss began, and then underlined his farewell with the Europa Team.
Emotional final farewell.#LaverCup | @Roger Federer pic.twitter.com/lSZb9KfvbN
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 23, 2022
“I didn’t want to feel alone, I wanted to say goodbye as a team. I always felt like I was a team player, although tennis doesn’t always have that component. I feel like it’s a celebration, I wanted to feel like that at the end and it’s exactly what I expected. So thanks. It was never supposed to be like this. I just liked to play tennis and spend time with my friends and I ended up here. It was a perfect adventure and I would do it all over again. It’s been so much fun. Thank you all. All this means a lot to me ”, added Federer, who interrupted his speech several times because of the tears that he could not contain and who said goodbye with lasting hugs from his wife, Mirka, his four children and his parents. .
The one, the only @Roger Federer. #LaverCup pic.twitter.com/DIudykDUNn
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 23, 2022
If there is something you see today, let it be this.#LaverCup | @Roger Federer pic.twitter.com/Ks9JqEeR6B
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 23, 2022
Source: Observadora
