“Only 2 things that would trigger me, Mirka and Rafael Nadal” – Roger Federer on breaking down in tears at Laver Cup retirement ceremony
Roger Federer revisited his emotional moment at the 2022 Laver Cup, where he played his final tournament in front of fans. The Swiss maestro revealed that he knew exactly what two things would ‘trigger’ him into crying: Seeing his wife Mirka and thinking about the end of his relationship with arch-rival Rafael Nadal.
Federer played the final competitive match of his career at the 2021 Wimbledon. More than a year later, still struggling with a knee injury, the former World No. 1 opted for a farewell in London, where he was joined by the biggest names in men’s tennis.Along with Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray joined the Swiss for a reunion of the ‘Big-4.’ The next generation of tennis talents also featured beside them, including the likes of Matteo Berrettini, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Casper Ruud and Frances Tiafoe.
Although Federer did not play any of the singles matches, he joined Nadal for a doubles encounter, which the pair ended up losing to Tiafoe and Jack Sock. With Team World securing the win over Team Europe at the end of the event, all eyes turned on the 20-time Grand Slam champion, who said his goodbyes to the sport that had been his home for more than two decades.
It was an emotionally-charged ceremony, with Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray all breaking down in tears at one point or the other. No one was more inconsolable on the night than the Swiss himself, who revisited the experience in his latest ‘Federer: Twelve Final Days’ documentary.
The 42-year-old admitted that it was ‘hard’ for him to see other players after he was done playing, and that it made him highly emotional. He also revealed that he said some personal things to Djokovic, which made the Serb tear up.
“Just seeing all the other players, that was hard. It was so emotional. Their whole career, I’ve been there. Andy, I think he saw his career flash in front of his eyes. Novak, I told him things also at the very end, that were very personal and that maybe triggered something with him as well,” Federer said (1:17:00) in the Amazon Prime exclusive release.
