Roger Federer is preparing to retire from tennis this Friday, in a night doubles match at the Laver Cup in London. The Swiss tennis player, 41 years old, winner of 20 Grand Slams and who recently announced the end of his career, admitted that he will only play one more game because his physical condition does not allow him to play in singles. And he would like his partner in the London tournament to be Rafael Nadal.
The Wimbledon title-record holder (eight) spoke at a press conference ahead of the Laver Cup, a tournament in which teams from Europe and the rest of the world participate between tomorrow and Sunday. “I’m getting ready for one last doubles match. We’ll see who it is with. Of course I’m nervous because I haven’t played in a long time. I hope to be competitive,” he said.
And he did not hide that he would like to team up with Rafael Nadal. “I don’t know if it will happen, but it would be a special moment. We fought so many fights against each other, but there was always a huge respect between us. We created a great relationship, even with our families and coaches message, not only for the tennis world, but for the sport in general. For all that it would be an absolute dream,” he said, leaving the decision in the hands of former tennis player Bjorn Borg, captain of the European tennis team.
However, Federer admitted in an interview with the BBC that he announced his retirement on September 15 via a letter published on social media due to a leak, which made him announcing the withdrawal earlier than he planned. “We try to keep these situations private and we always hope there are no information leaks. But I discovered the morning of that day [15 de setembro] who were preparing to announce my withdrawal. And that’s why I announced it earlier than expected,” he acknowledged.
“I will not be a ghost”
Asked about the future, the Swiss tennis player said he “wanted to spend time with his family first and have a normal life”, acknowledging that he still needs to think “what to do next”. “I just want my fans to know that I won’t be a ghost. In which way I don’t know yet, I have yet to think about it,” he shot.
In another interview with Swiss media, the tennis player confessed how difficult it was to say goodbye to his family in the courts. “It was difficult. Three of my four children cried when I told them I was leaving. They asked me if we would ever go to Halle, Wimbledon, Indian Wells again. To his wife: “It was terrible for her, because she I see don’t like me on the track anymore because of her knee. I feel sorry for what she went through. Now it’s time to dedicate myself more to her.”
The team made up of European tennis players, in addition to Federer and Nadal, will also include Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Contestants from around the world include Taylor Fritz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Diego Schwartzman, Alex de Minaur, Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock.
Tournament rules require tennis players to play in pairs as well as individually. But the matter was sidestepped with the appeal of substitute Matteo Berrettini.
Source: DN
