Roger Federer spoke about his emotional retirement moments during the Laver Cup, which was held at the O2 Arena in London.
“I think I feel complete. I lost my last singles match, I lost my last doubles match, I lost my voice from screaming and cheering for the team, we lost the series as a team, I lost my job, I’m very happy.” Federer said.
“There’s the irony, everyone imagines the final fantasy, and for me it ended up happening, but in a way I never imagined it would happen.” Federer added.
The 41-year-old Swiss explained unforgettable moments and thanked Rafael Nadal for making the effort to accompany him despite his problems in Spain.
“I called him right after the US Open, waited until the end of the tournament to inform him of my retirement plans.” Federer said.
“I wanted him to know before I made any plans without thinking about the Laver Cup. I told him I was discussing whether to play doubles or not.
“It was 50-50 or 60-40. I made it clear to him that I would keep him informed and told him to let me know how things were going at home, we would talk soon.
“However, very early on it became clear that Rafa would do everything possible to be there with me. For me, that was amazing.
“It showed me once again how much we mean to each other and the respect we have for each other.” he added
Federer won five more majors and at age 36 became the oldest men’s No. 1 since the advent of the ATP rankings in 1973.
He played his final match alongside Nadal in the Laver Cup on Friday at O2 Arena in London, and the duo fell 6-4, 6(2)-7, 9-11 loss to American duo Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock.
“I just thought it would be a beautiful and amazing story, also for sport, for tennis and even beyond that,” Federer said.
“I think it ended in an even better way than I thought. Rafa made an incredible effort, I will never forget what he did for me in London.” he added.
