The 2022 Laver Cup in London was one of the most emotional moments in the history of tennis. For the past 23 years, Roger Federer has been not only one of the best players on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tour, but also one of the most loved. On Sept. 23 Federer played in his final professional tennis match, a doubles match, alongside long time rival and best friend Rafael Nadal. In this match Federer and Nadal, the duo known to fans as “Fedal,” competed together for Team Europe against Jock Sock and Francis Tiafoe, both Americans representing Team World.
Federer returned to the ATP tour and professional tennis after a two-year hiatus due to injury. Previously, Federer had made it to the final of Wimbledon where he faced Novak Djokovic. The match, which lasted four hours and 55 minutes on center court, was the last time fans got to see a peak performance of Roger Federer fight in a high stakes match. Since then Roger has been absent from the professional tour, as he was recovering from knee injuries and not competing due to the pandemic shutting tournaments down.
With Federer taking a forced step back from the tour, fans were patiently awaiting his return, all ready to cheer the Swiss tennis maestro on. But prior to the Laver Cup beginning, Federer made an announcement that all tennis fans were dreading: on Sept. 19 Federer announced that the Laver Cup would be his final ATP event.
The tennis world doubled over in excitement for the 2022 Laver Cup because they could watch not only the return of Federer to the court but watch his final match. With the eyes of the tennis world turned towards this tournament the meaning of the Laver Cup transformed. What is usually a tournament to see which team is better (Team World or Team Europe) became a farewell event for Federer. Fans roared as Federer walked onto center court with Nadal for his final match.
The match began with Federer and Nadal losing the first set 4-6 to Sock and Tiafoe. But the dynamic doubles team of “Fedal” fought back in the second set 7-6 bringing it to a tie breaker which they won 7-2 to secure the set. The match was then headed into a super tiebreaker to determine if Federer’s last match would be a win or not. Fighting tooth and nail to win the match, Federer and Nadal could not win in the final stretch as Nadal put a volley into the net, ending the tiebreaker 9-11 with Sock and Tiafoe ending up on top.
But it was not the kind of match where excessive celebration from Sock and Tiafoe would ensue, rather the court was covered in tears. Federer and Nadal held each other’s hands as they walked off court; both of them with tears streaming down their faces. The 2022 Laver Cup was the final time Nadal and Federer would step on court together, the final time Team Europe would compete with Federer as their captain and the final time where Federer would captivate the tennis world with elegant strokes and a one-handed backhand. In a moment of true sportsmanship and unity, as Federer was waving the crowd goodbye, players from both teams lifted Federer up and paraded him around the court.
The impact of Federer on the sport of tennis will be remembered for generations to come such as, but far more impactful than, the careers of legendary tennis players such as Billie Jean King, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe. Roger Federer holds the most records on the ATP tour. He has won 20 grand slam tournaments. Six wins from the Australian Open, one from Roland Garros, eight from Wimbledon and five from the U.S. Open. Federer was the first player to surpass 14 major titles which was a record previously held by American Pete Sampras. Federer holds the record for the most Wimbledon titles of any player and holds the record for the oldest player to reach the number 1 ranking in tennis at the age of 36.
But Federer’s impressive records stemming from his performance at Grand Slam tournaments are a fraction of all the records he holds as a player. Federer has won a total of 103 titles in his career. These include six ATP finals titles; 71 hard court titles and 19 grass court titles, all of which are all-time records. Apart from these, Federer has won an Olympic singles silver medal and an Olympic doubles gold medal. He is also a Davis Cup champion which is the tennis equivalent of the FIFA World Cup.
Federer’s accomplishments do not end with titles as well, his dominance as a player can be reflected in the fact that he was a number one for a record 237 consecutive weeks (four and a half years). Federer has also won a total number of 1,251 matches that includes 783 hard court wins and 192 grass court wins respectively—both are all-time records.
Federer will have one of the longest-lasting impacts on the sport of tennis because despite how accomplished he is with a racket and ball in hand; Federer has been one of the best ambassadors for the sport and sportsmanship. Federer is consistently voted as the ATP player of the year which is a distinction given to players who show high degrees of sportsmanship, compassion and tenacity on and off the court. He has been known for his respectful nature on court since Federer, after rising to the top of the rankings, only once broke a racket on court—which immediately prompted the crowd to boo Federer for one of the few times in his career to express how they expected more from him.
Federer has and will continue to inspire generations of young tennis players all over the world. They will all work to achieve his level of speed and perfect timing on court when both moving to a shot and hitting the ball. Federer may no longer be in the ATP but he will be a presence in the sport for years to come.
