- For Roger Federer it was the last game of his career
- The Swiss chose not to play singles in the Laver Cup, instead they chose a different way to greet the crowd – playing doubles with Rafael Nadal
- Their duel with Jacek Sock and Frances Tiafoe was balanced, and at times ferocious, especially in the second set and super tie break.
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On September 15, the maestro officially announced his intention to end his career and take the field for the last time during the Laver Cup tournament. The tennis world realized that Federer was still struggling with injuries and it would have been difficult for him to return to playing regularly, but this news came as a shock.
103 tournaments won, including 20 Grand Slam tournaments, first place in the ATP rankings for 310 weeks, including 237 in a row, which is an all-time record (second Jimmy Connors has 160). In addition, Olympic gold won in Beijing in 2008 in doubles and silver in London 2012 in singles. Federer is undoubtedly one of the best tennis players in the history of the sport.
Initially, Federer was supposed to say goodbye to fans at the Laver Cup singles tournament. In the end it was double. The choice of his doubles partner could not be different. It was Rafael Nadal, with whom he competed for the first time and befriended for years. They played 40 official matches between them. The Swiss won 16 and the Spaniard – 24.
“My friend and rival. I was hoping that day would never come. It is sad for me personally and for the sport all over the world. It has been a pleasure, but also an honor and a privilege to share with you all these years, having so many fantastic moments at In the future, we will have many more moments to live together, there are still many things to do together, we know. For now, I wish you all the best with your wife Mirka, children, family and enjoy what we see in London, “Nadal said goodbye to Federer when he announced his retirement.
And in the end they met. Initially, they were supposed to start the match with Jack Sock / Frances Tiafoe around 9.30pm, but the Andy Murray – Alex De Minaur match was dragged on for a long time. After more than two hours The Australian won 5: 7, 6: 3, 10.7.
Federer’s last game started after 23.00. The first set was balanced and the first break came only at the end. This play was successful for Federer / Nadal, and they won the set 6: 4.
The second set was more balanced. The rivals broke through almost from the start of the match and Federer and Nadal were even losing 1: 3. Then they took the lead, but the set to the end was characterized by fierce exchanges and a tough fight for every point. Eventually, Sock and Tiafoe tipped the scales on their side, winning the set 7: 6.
With a score of 1: 1 in the set it was necessary to play the so-called super tie break up to 10 points won. Sock and Tiafoe turned out to be better in this match, beating Federer and Nadal 11: 9.
Roger Federer / Rafael Nadal – Jack Sock / Frances Tiafoe 6: 4, 6: 7, 9:11
***
His vision was getting worse every day. First in one eye. Activity in the hall, a ball hit in the face and Michał Globisz was in the hospital. Later, the visibility in the other eye faded. However, the well-deserved youth coach and educator can still be found in the stands of the Gdynia stadium: he comes to the matches and his friends tell him what is happening on the pitch. In “X-ray”, the guardian of the gold medals of the European Championships from years ago talks about learning a new life and positioning his head at such an angle that he can see the number of a trolleybus arriving at the stop.
Source:Sports Review
Date Created: Today, 01:34
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