‘We can all party together!’: Roger Federer hints at farewell tour after playing final game of his career at Laver Cup and insists he wants to play in venues he’s ‘never played before’
- Roger Federer made the announcement after his Laver Cup match on Friday
- Federer and Rafael Nadal were defeated by Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe
- The 41-year-old said that he’ll be saying ‘thank yous for years to come’ to fans
- The Swiss maestro had announced last week that he was retiring from tennis
Roger Federer hinted at a potential farewell tour after he played the final professional match of his illustrious career in the early hours of Saturday morning at the O2 in London.
The 20-time grand-slam champion could not bring the curtain down with one final competitive victory after losing 6-4 6-7 (2) 9-11 alongside doubles partner Rafael Nadal to Team World pair Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe at the Laver Cup.
Both Federer and Nadal were in tears at the conclusion of a two hour and 14 minute battle that saw the former world number ones squander match point much to the disappointment of a buoyant 17,500-capacity crowd.
Roger Federer hinted a potential farewell tour after playing his last career match on Friday
Not that the final result mattered with standing ovations afforded to the 41-year-old throughout his ‘last dance’ and plenty of highlights, including a 116mph ace and one sensational drop shot winner in the deciding tie-breaker.
Federer had announced last week the doubles contest on night one of the Laver Cup, the Ryder Cup-style team competition he set up, would be his last on the ATP Tour but the door has been left open for more chances to see him on tennis courts around the world, just not in a professional capacity.
‘I have no plans whatsoever like where, how, when. All I know is I would love to go and play places I have never played before or go say thank yous for years to come to all the people that have been so supportive of me,’ he said during a press conference that did not finish until after 2am on Saturday.
The Swiss legend was in tears after his doubles match at the Laver Cup came to an end
‘Because the hard part about the Laver Cup was that tickets were already sold out. You know, the people who maybe would have also loved to be here couldn’t make it.
‘Maybe there is another way down the stretch we can party all together.’
Defeat on a comeback was finally admitted publicly by Federer last week after a succession of operations during the last two and a half years on his right knee proved unsuccessful.
It meant the final singles contest of his career occurred at Wimbledon last year, where he lost in the quarter-finals to Hubert Hurkacz, but he insisted retirement, which he settled on last month, was no longer a scary concept.
He added: ‘I was able to remind myself always on the court again how wonderful this is.
Federer took to the court with long-time competitor Rafael Nadal at the O2 Arena
‘This is not the end, end, you know, life goes on. I’m healthy, I’m happy, everything’s great and this is just a moment in time. This is obviously supposed to be like this.
‘Weeks ago, for a fact, I was so scared of this moment that it really worried me.’
While Federer was emotional during his on-court interview, where he paid tribute to his wife Mirka, he was happy to bow out with a friend by his side in Nadal.
The duo shared a long embrace after Sock’s winner had confirmed defeat before they were in tears after a retirement video had been shown on the big screens and followed by a performance from British singer Ellie Goulding.
‘To be not alone on that court for an entire evening, it helped a lot,’ Federer admitted.
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