Nathan News

The epic tiebreak that sealed victory for the American pair was not only a fitting end to a match that, despite the intense and often emotional development, far exceeded expectations in its size and quality, but also to a career that produced so many has moments of genius and brought joy to so many.

For a three-day competition between teams from Europe and the rest of the world that has seldom felt more than an exhibition since its inception in 2017, the announcement of Federer’s retirement added welcome prestige to the game this weekend.

While the competition, featuring nine head-to-head singles matches and three doubles matches, may have previously garnered only marginal global attention, this year’s edition has undoubtedly become one of the biggest tennis events of the year.

That was largely because it was Federer’s swan song, of course, but it also offered tennis fans something they hadn’t seen in many years: Federer, Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, all healthy and together in the same tournament.

Social media posts from these four superstars in the week leading up to the event would no doubt have made fans nostalgic. The quartet showed genuine warmth towards one another, similar to a group of school friends who hadn’t been together for many years as they explored London’s landmarks.

Perhaps, however, the feelings of nostalgia came not only from the 2022 Laver Cup, which signaled the end of Federer’s long and storied career, but also from the fact that it finally confirmed the beginning of the end of tennis’ golden era.

With Nadal, Djokovic and Murray all well into their 30s, and all long absent through injury at some point during their careers, their eventual retirement now looms beyond the sport.

Those four players — “the big 3 plus a few clowns,” as Murray hilariously put it on his own Instagram page — will officially never play the same tournament again.

Farewell to a legend

Where Federer’s on-court achievements rank among the all-time greats in the men’s game will be up for debate – although he is undoubtedly in the top three – there is no doubt that he is the most transcendent tennis player to ever pick up a racquet.

Largely due to his way of playing the game, no one else in the sport has achieved the worldwide admiration, recognition or cultural icon quite like the suave Swiss superstar.

For most of his career, Federer appeared to be gliding rather than scurrying about the court, his locks flowing and bobbing above his headband, while his unabashedly aesthetic one-handed backhand shot became arguably the most iconic and recognizable shot tennis has ever seen.

More importantly, the beauty of his game – at the peak of his powers – brought unprecedented success. He became the first player to surpass Pete Sampras’ previous men’s record of 14 Grand Slam titles, and then became the first to reach the milestone of 20.

While Nadal and Djokovic may now have surpassed his Grand Slam totals, the epic battles Federer has had with these two players throughout his career have only enhanced his legacy.

On another day, the three matches leading up to Federer’s final departure might have been remarkable in their own right – Muray versus Alex De Minaur was a particularly riveting encounter – but today it felt like a warm-up to the main event.

By the end of the second set of Murray’s match against De Minaur – which the Australian won in a match tiebreak in the third set to earn the first point of the day for Team World – Federer had donned his shorts and headband in Team Europe’s dugout and appeared ready to step onto the pitch, which only added to the anticipation that had been steadily building in the arena.

In De Minaur’s on-court interview after the game, he mentioned how he would cheer for Team World against Nadal and Federer, which resulted in the 23-year-old being booed by a crowd who then erupted in laughter.

man of the moment

When Federer’s name was finally announced as he entered the pitch, the noise from the crowd was so deafening that it completely drowned out the announcer’s voice before he could finish the introduction of the Swiss and his doubles partner Nadal.

The 41-year-old was greeted with another booming cheer as his performances were read out during warm-up sessions, but the loudest roar came when Federer smashed away a volley to give him and Nadal the first point of the game.

There was still a zip in Federer’s shots on most opening balls as he carried himself across the court with his trademark grace, but chasing a dropshot from Tiafoe that landed no more than two yards in front of him saw the age in Federer’s legs begin to show to show for the first time as he struggled to reach the ball.

Not that those moments happened often, a remarkable thought considering his age and the three knee surgeries he’s had to undergo. As he continued to show remarkable talent – particularly at net – most viewers at the O2 arena were probably wondering why he retired in the first place.

One moment in particular drew shocked gasps from the crowd as the big screens showed the reruns. While chasing a short ball, Federer pushed his forehand through the tiny gap between the net and the post.

They may have lost the point when the ball went under the top of the net, but even in the last game of his career, Federer produced moments most had never seen on a tennis court before.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, there seemed to be a great deal of magic left in what many viewers throughout his career have often described as a wand rather than a bat.

Both Federer and Nadal smiled early on, including a laugh when Federer had clearly misunderstood the plan for the point to come and had to return to his partner for another debriefing, leading to the Swiss man holding his hands up in embarrassment to apologize.

But as the first set progressed, the mood on the court changed as the relentless competitive nature that had made these two players such a force over the years finally came to the fore.

When the couple, affectionately called “Fedal” by the fans, won the first set 6:4, the atmosphere in the arena was on the verge of party mode.

But make no mistake, Sock and Tiafoe were by no means happy turning around and letting Federer go into the sunset with an easy win. The American duo broke serve early in the second set as they tried to spoil the party atmosphere, but Federer and Nadal soon broke back to restore par.

The best game of the game came in a 5-5 draw as Nadal saved six break points – including one of back-to-back shots from Federer that drew loud cheers from the crowd – to put the pair on the brink of victory.

But Sock then held a tricky hold at love to lead the set to a tie-break whose first point Federer – and the entire stadium – thought he’d served an ace, only to be greeted by a ‘let’ call from the referee , who was loudly booed by the entire arena.

A brilliant tiebreak by the American duo sealed the second set and resulted in an epic decider.

The drama packed into the third set – a 3-0 lead opened and gambled by Federer and Nadal, a brutal forehand that slammed Tiafoe into Federer’s back and an ace from Federer that greeted a standing ovation became – was the fitting end to an incomparable career.

In the end, it didn’t matter that much that Federer failed to secure the win and the emotion in his farewell speech – which barely came through as he spoke about the support his family had given him throughout his career – also waned with his doubles partner moved to tears.

“It feels like a celebration,” said Federer. “It ended up being exactly what I wanted, exactly what I was hoping for.”