Their rivalry has marked the last fifteen years in the world of professional tennis. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will be side by side, this Friday, during the first day of the Laver Cup in London to represent the European team against the American pair composed of Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe. Final match for Roger Federer who announced last week that he would end his career at the end of the Laver Cup, an exhibition of which he is at the origin.
“Participating in this historic moment will be something incredible and unforgettable”, commented Rafael Nadal on Thursday. “I’m super excited and I hope we have a good time and win the game, we’ll see. I hope the public will support us enormously”, slipped the Mallorcan, who revealed the emotion that already inhabits him before the farewell to his rival. “It will be a different kind of pressure, after all the great things we shared on and off the pitch.”he added.
Federer and Nadal have indeed written in 40 clashes (24 victory to 16 for the Spaniard), some of which are legendary, one of the most exciting soap operas in the history of tennis. “He’s one of, if not the most important player of my career and I’m very grateful to be able to play with him.” has also insisted the Spanish champion who is, at 36, holder of the record of 22 Grand Slam titles after his victories this year at the Australian Open and Roland-Garros.
A match for “history”
Sock and Tiafoe, who will have the formidable honor of closing the career of the master, measure their luck but remain relaxed and focused. “I can’t wait to play against these little youngsters who are on the rise.” joked the recent US Open semi-finalist. “It promises to be a more than cult evening and I’m proud to be there. We’ll take advantage of the moment but we won’t hold back, sorry Roger.” added his teammate.
“Everyone would like to play this game. There is not much more exciting than that, than to be part of history”even admitted their captain, John McEnroe, assuring that he had to toss Sock’s partner, a doubles specialist.
Federer will hope to end on a less sad note than his last match, a defeat in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon 2021, where Pole Hubert Hurkacz inflicted a terrible 6-0 on him in the third and final set of the match. “I’m obviously nervous that I haven’t played for so long, I hope to be competitive.” he admitted on Wednesday.
End of an era
Expected but dreaded, the announcement of the retirement of the 41-year-old Swiss, winner of 20 Grand Slam titles, marks the beginning of the end of a blessed era in tennis and sport in general. Because since his first Grand Slam title, at Wimbledon in 2003, Federer has marked tennis with his talent and elegance, but he has also brought in his wake the phenomena Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. The three of them snatched 63 of the last 77 Majors. The oldest, Federer is the first to bow out.
Nadal’s career hangs by a thread: that of the more or less bearable pain that emanates from his left foot. Djokovic, he, at 35, does not seem on the way to the exit. But his refusal of the anti-covid vaccine made him mark time in the race for Grand Slam titles: he was prevented this year from participating in the Australian Open, where he holds the record of nine titles, and at the US Open where he won three times. He won his 21st Major at Wimbledon but is unsure if he can return to Melbourne in January.