Roger federer last match full video9/21/2023 ![]() WHYY thanks our sponsors - become a WHYY sponsor Thank you to everybody who’s coming tonight.” But I could feel the pain.”Ī couple of hours before Friday’s match, Federer tweeted: “I’ve done this thousands of times, but this one feels different. “I kind of held it in at first, then fought it off. “For me, just personally, (it was) sad in the first moment, when I came to the conclusion it’s the best decision,” Federer said in an interview with The Associated Press this week about his emotions when realizing it was time to go. His surgically repaired right knee - the last of three operations came shortly after a loss in the Wimbledon quarterfinals in July 2021, which will go down as his final official singles match - is in no shape to allow him to continue. The Swiss star announced last week that the three-day team event, which was founded by his management company, would be his final event before retirement, then made clear the doubles outing would be his last match. Then he mouthed, “Thank you,” while applauding right back toward the spectators who had chanted, “Let’s go, Roger! Let’s go!” during the concluding moments of a match that lasted more than two hours and ended at about 12:30 a.m. As cascades of clapping and yells of affection came from the stands, Federer put his hands on his hips, his chest heaving. The circumstances of Federer’s retirement, forced by the chronic knee injury that left him in rehab for most of his last three seasons and which created uncertainty about whether he would even be able to manage one last doubles match, were far from ideal.īut, flanked by the rivals who battled him, the final moments of his career created an unforgettable demonstration of sportsmanship and compassion.When the match, and with it, his time in professional tennis, ended, Federer hugged Nadal, then Tiafoe and Sock. Finally, many years after most of their rivals left, their era is coming to an end. Serena Williams, who turns 41 on Monday and is only a month younger than Federer, retired amid emotional scenes at the US Open.ĭespite talk of retirement following both players as early as the late 2000s, they paired their success with astounding longevity. This is obviously supposed to be like this.” I’m healthy, I’m happy, everything’s great, and this is just a moment in time, you know. “I was able to remind myself always on the court again how wonderful this is,” said Federer. ![]() Had they just handed him a microphone to speak, he said, he would not have been able to manage his feelings. ![]() Federer later embraced his wife, Mirka, his parents and his four children.Īfter struggling with intense emotions during his on-court interview with another former No 1, Jim Courier, Federer revealed that his only request for the ceremony had been that an interviewer would direct the occasion. Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas, 24, who credits Federer with inspiring him to play tennis and choose a one-handed backhand, was also in tears. Djokovic, 35, put his hands on Federer’s shoulders, and Andy Murray, also 35, hugged him warmly several times. Nadal and Federer sat together during the ceremony, even holding hands, and there were displays of emotion from all directions. “When Roger leaves the tour, an important part of my life is leaving too because of all the moments that he has been next or in front me during important moments of my life,” said Nadal, who is now 36. Nadal’s wife, Maria, is due to give birth to their first child soon, but Friday night’s event meant so much to the Spaniard that he had to be there. Their rivalry has always been professional and friendly, but Federer and Nadal have over time become increasingly close. Their excellence pushed men’s tennis, and each other, to incredible heights, leading to what many consider a golden era when Novak Djokovic joined them to form the “big three”. But first Federer arrived, playing in his seemingly effortless way, driven by his endless toolbox of shots and learning how to harness his audacious talents, and then Nadal followed as a perfect foil, his physical, topspin-heavy style marking them as stark opposites.īetween 20, they faced each other 40 times in singles. As the influence of top US players waned, some believed the immediate future of the sport was bleak. Before Federer’s first grand slam title at Wimbledon in 2003, men’s tennis was at a crossroads.
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