Roger Federers last match: What did he say?

An era came to an end on Saturday, September 24, when Roger Federer finally called it quits following a defeat at his career’s last match, at the Laver Cup 2022 men’s doubles finals. He partnered with Rafael Nadal in the match as the duo represented Team Europe, and was defeated 6-4, 6(2)-7(7), 9-11 by Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock of Team World.

Federer retires from tennis on the back of winning 20 Grand Slam singles titles, the third most in the history of the sport. He was overcome with emotion following the end of Saturday’s match as he embraced Rafael Nadal on the court and waved to the spectators for the last time as a player.

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“We’ll get through this somehow, will we? Right?,” the 42-year-old said in his post-match on-court interview in a broken voice.

Federer also added that he was happy after his career’s last match and despite the defeat, he termed the match ‘great’.

“I’m happy, I’m not sad. It feels great to be here and I enjoyed tying my shoes one more time. Everything was the last time. The match was great, I couldn’t be happier. It’s been wonderful,” the 20-time Grand Slam singles champion continued.

The rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal has gone down in history as one of the most competitive in sporting history. The duo has won 42 Grand Slam singles titles in total and has entertained millions with their excellence. As he partnered with Nadal in his final match, the event was attended by several tennis greats like Rod Laver and Stefan Edberg, whom he thanked.

“Playing with Rafa on the same team, and having the guys, everybody here, all the legends – Rocket, Edberg, Stefan — thank you,” Federer quipped.

The Swiss maestro’s wife Mirka and their four children joined him on the court following the match. “I didn’t want it to feel lonely out there. It felt lonely for a second when they told me to go out, but to be saying goodbye on a team, I always felt I was a team player at heart. Singles doesn’t really do that but I’ve had a team that travelled with me around the world. It’s been amazing with them, so thanks to everybody who made it work for so many years,” he said.

Also Read: Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal: A rivalry for the ages

Federer also thanked other contemporary stars like Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud, Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock in his post-match interview.

“And then of course being on the team with Andy, Thomas, Novak, Matteo, Cam, Stefanos, Rafa and Casper, and also the other team, you guys are unbelievable. It’s been a pleasure playing all these Laver Cups,” he said.

A fan-favourite, Federer also reiterated that his retirement is a celebration as he wanted to feel exactly like what he felt after Saturday’s match.