Roger Federer’s career officially ended on Friday, September 23, 2022. The Swiss, who had not set foot on a court for more than a year, played his last match alongside his eternal rival Rafael Nadal in the Laver Cup. They were both beaten by Americans Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock, but the result was completely irrelevant on this epic night.
The 41-year-old Basel player received a splendid tribute at the end of the match and all the fans were moved by the images. The 20-time Slam champion had tried by all means to take one last lap in 2023, but the condition of his right knee no longer allowed him to compete at the highest level.
An MRI performed last July confirmed to the King that he had made no further progress. The former World No. 1 announced his decision through a letter posted on Instagram on September 15. In a recent interview with L’Equipe, well-known French singer Serge Lama revealed his most painful memories of the Maestro’s career.
“Well, the most painful memory is definitely the 2019 Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic. Roger Federer had the match in his hands, with two match points on his serve. We are talking about one of the best servers in history.
He was a little afraid of winning, because he knew that this Slam would mean something different than all the others. An eventual triumph of Roger would have changed many things”, analyzed Lama. “Another loss that hurt me a lot was the one I suffered against Djokovic in the 2014 Wimbledon final.
Even then the match was decided by a few points. I also remember the comeback I suffered against Tsonga at Wimbledon 2011. I went into the singles with Federer two sets ahead and I was convinced that he would win. When I came back, I saw that I had lost in the fifth and I couldn’t believe it,” he added.
Djokovic praises Federer
Novak Djokovic showered more praise on his great rival Roger Federer. “His footprint, his legacy, his mark that he left behind is going to live forever,” Novak Djokovic said when asked about Federer during a chat with Prakash Amritraj.
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“Even now that he retired, his legacy is going to be there for many many decades and generations to follow. He has not only achieved so much on the court but he has inspired so many young players to take a racquet in their hand.
You have so many top players now talking about it, Roger was their idol. That’s great, that speaks of his greatness.”
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