William Conlin
Roger Federer, who spent 24 years on the ATP Tour and amassed 103 event victories worldwide in addition to 20 Grand Slam titles, competed in his final professional match at the Laver Cup when he teamed up with Rafael Nadal in a doubles match in London.
Federer announced that the Laver Cup, an annual team competition he helped create as part of his legacy to the game that he once dominated alone before the rise of Nadal and Djokovic changed the dynamic, would be his final competitive appearance.
Federer has struggled with injuries over the past few seasons. He only participated in 19 matches from 2020 to 2021 and played no professional games in 2022. The Swiss Indoor Championships at Basel in 2019, was his most recent tournament win.
“It is tough for me as a fan to see that Federer’s final years of tennis were limited significantly by injuries because watching Federer play tennis was just so unique compared to other tennis players. Federer brought a lot of different elements to tennis by modernizing the one-hand backhand to make it the smoothest shot of all time. Also by entertaining every crowd, he played for by his mix of shots and the most spectacular trick shots I’ve ever seen,” NHS sophomore Evan Cowley said.
Federer has broken numerous records despite competing against some of the greatest players the game has ever seen, including becoming the oldest world No. 1 at age 36 and holding the top spot for 237 consecutive weeks.
“He moved less than he followed. His gaze remained on the contact point after the ball had left as if to emphasize that, with his speed and court awareness, he had a little bit more time to work his magic than his peers. He was equally at ease pouncing on a volley or stretching for an overhead as he was patrolling the baseline and leaping into his signature stroke, the inside-out forehand,” NHS sophomore Theo Anderson said.
Among his many honors, Federer's career major slam victories included the Australian Open, which he took home six times, the French Open, which he won once, the US Open, which he won five times, and Wimbledon, which he won an unprecedented eight times.
Federer also finished second to Jimmy Connors in the Open era with 103 ATP titles won. Additionally, he participated in a record six ATP finals, won the Davis Cup, and won the men's doubles gold medal at the 2008 Olympics with Stan Wawrinka.
“Federer has grown throughout his career in tennis. He started off with some waves of anger adjusting to the pressures of playing competitively and having the spotlight on himself. Losing matches that he could’ve easily won. But as his career continued Federer stays in the moment. Enjoying the game and what it has to offer by playing every single point like it matters most, bringing his competitive edge while still having fun, NHS sophomore David Baghdady said.
The former champion and longtime rival Rafael Nadal came up just short against Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe in the third-set super tiebreak. The title was then won by Team World for the first time 13-8.
“It’s a sad day for me personally and for sports around the world, so many amazing moments on and off the court,” Nadal said on Twitter, referring to the everlasting relationship the pair built over two decades of competing professionally against each other.