tennis legend
Federer’s emotional farewell gala: a sea of tears
Roger Federer (l) and his doubles partner Rafael Nadal shed a few tears after the match. . photo
© John Walton/PA Wire/dpa
It was a perfect farewell for Roger Federer. Family, friends and companions had come to see him play tennis again. Only one thing was wrong with his last appearance.
The pictures of the two crying superstars Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal touched tennis fans all over the world.
After Federer’s last official match, the 41-year-old Swiss and his long-time rival and current friend Nadal (36) sat next to each other on the bench and let their tears flow freely. While the English singer Ellie Goulding sang in honor of Federer in the arena in London, the two exceptional athletes in the industry could no longer hide their feelings.
It was one of the many emotional highlights of a farewell gala full of emotions and feelings for the Swiss tennis legend. At 0.25 a.m. local time on Saturday night, one of the greatest sports careers came to an end. With tears in his eyes, Federer said goodbye to tennis in London. After more than 100 tournament wins and a total of 20 Grand Slam titles, the Swiss maestro ended his impressive career.
Federer sheds tears of joy
“It felt like a celebration and that was exactly what I wanted,” said Federer in the subsequent interview on the pitch. Again and again he had to interrupt the conversation with the American ex-professional Jim Courier because he had to cry. “It was a perfect trip. I would do it all over again,” said the longtime number one in the world. “I’m happy, not sad.”
For a long time, Federer fought bravely in the limelight. But when he was asked about his wife Mirka and his four children, it finally happened to the 41-year-old Swiss. Federer cried bitterly and couldn’t speak at first. Then he said to his wife in a halting voice. “I would never have gotten this far without you. You have allowed me to keep going.” A long and intimate hug with Mirka followed, Federer’s daughters had tears in their eyes. More feelings than in these moments were not possible.
Federer quickly checked that he was denied a win in his last official match. “I will remember the looks on all the people’s faces and their emotions,” said Federer, “not the game, which was kind of weird.” At Nadal’s side, Federer had to admit defeat to the US duo Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe in the tie-break match 6: 4, 6: 7 (2: 7), 9:11 and the score was 9: 8 in the last set even awarded a match point.
Zverev does not miss Federer’s farewell either
Federer announced last week that he would end his career after the Laver Cup, which he also helped to launch. The longtime number one in the world had to have a total of three knee operations. He played his last game on the ATP tour at Wimbledon over a year ago. The Laver Cup pits a European team against a selection of players from the rest of the world from Friday to Sunday. After the first day it is 2: 2, Federer will only accompany the remaining two days as a spectator.
At his last appearance, Federer flashed his exceptional talent again and again. The duo Federer/Nadal, who have won 42 titles at Grand Slam tournaments together, delighted the audience who had traveled from all over the world. Celebrities like Rod Laver, Alexander Zverev and Bastian Schweinsteiger came to London to see Federer play again. “It wasn’t easy to handle all the things that day,” said Nadal emotionally. “With Roger leaving the tour, a large part of my life is leaving as well.”