Roger Federer brings down curtain on his career with a defeat, but still dazzles

CNN
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Roger Federer’s career may have ended in a defeat on Friday, but the five-minute standing ovation that followed was testament to the unique, indelible mark he left on the sport of tennis.

The adulation of the crowd, seemingly endless rounds of applause and chants of “Roger, Roger, Roger,” reduced Federer to tears.

“I’m happy, I’m not sad,” he said after the match, a 6-4 6-7 9-11 defeat to Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe alongside longtime friend and rival Rafael Nadal at the Laver Cup at London’s O2 Arena.

“I enjoyed tying my shoes one last time. Everything was the last time.”

Following 24 years of excellence on the court – more than 1,500 matches, 103 singles titles and 20 grand slams – this was Federer’s last competitive match.

The epic tiebreak that sealed the win for the American pair was a fitting end to not only a match that, despite the intense and often emotional build-up, far surpassed expectations in its grandeur and quality, but also a career that has produced so many moments of genius and provided joy to so many.

For a three-day competition between teams from Europe and the rest of the world that has rarely felt like much more than an exhibition since its inception in 2017, the announcement of Federer’s retirement added some welcome prestige to this weekend’s play.

While the competition, featuring nine head-to-head singles and three doubles matches, may have previously garnered unsubstantial global attention, this year’s edition had now unquestionably become one of the biggest tennis events of the year.

Of course, this was largely due to it being Federer’s swansong, but it was also providing tennis fans with something they hadn’t seen for many years: Federer, Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray all healthy and together competing at the same tournament.

Social media posts from these four superstars in the week leading up to the event no doubt would have had fans feeling nostalgic. The quartet displayed genuine warmth towards one another, akin to a group of school friends that hadn’t been together for many years, as they explored London’s landmarks.

Perhaps, though, the feelings of nostalgia came not only from the 2022 Laver Cup signaling the end of Federer’s long and storied career, but also from the fact it finally confirmed the beginning of the end of tennis’ golden era.

With Nadal, Djokovic and Murray all well into their 30s and all suffering lengthy injury absences at some point during their careers, their eventual retirements now loom large over the sport.

These four players – “the big 3 plus some clown,” as Murray comically put it on his own Instagram page – will officially never grace the same tournament again.

Where Federer’s on-court achievements rank among the greats in the men’s game will be up for debate – though he is no doubt in the top three – there is no question he is the most transcendent tennis player to ever pick up a racket.

Largely due to the way he played the game, nobody else in the sport has garnered the global adoration, the endorsements or become a cultural icon quite like the suave Swiss superstar.

For most of his career, Federer seemed to glide around the court rather than scamper, his locks flowing and bouncing above his headband, while his outrageously aesthetic one-handed backhanded became arguably the most iconic and recognizable shot tennis has ever seen.

More importantly, the beauty of his game brought – at the peak of his powers – unprecedented success. He became the first player to surpass the previous men’s record of 14 grand slams titles held by Pete Sampras, then became the first to reach the landmark 20.

While Nadal and Djokovic may have now surpassed his grand slam total, the epic battles Federer had with these two players during his career only further added to his legacy.

On another day, the three matches that preceded Federer’s final goodbye may have been noteworthy in themselves – Muray versus Alex De Minaur was a particularly engrossing encounter – but today felt like warmups for the main event.

By the end of the second set of Murray’s match against De Minaur – which the Australian won in a third-set match tie break to earn Team World’s first point of the day – Federer had changed into his shorts and headband in the Team Europe dugout and looked ready to take to the court, only adding to the anticipation that had been steadily building inside the arena.

In De Minaur’s on-court interview after…