'It's been a perfect journey' An emotional Roger Federer has played his final professional tennis match, losing in doubles alongside his great rival and friend Rafael Nadal. DETAILS: 9News | WATCH LIVE 6pm
This day, this match, had to come, of course, for Roger Federer, and for tennis, just as it inevitably must for every athlete in every sport.
LONDO9N, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 23: Roger Federer of Team Europe shows emotion alongside their team mates following their final match during Day One of the Laver Cup at The O2 Arena on September 23, 2022 in London, England. He had said he wanted this to feel more like a party than a funeral, and the crowd obliged, rising for a loud and lengthy standing ovation when Federer and Nadal — each wearing a white bandanna, blue shirt and white shorts — emerged together from a tunnel leading out to the black court for the last match on Day 1 at the O2 Arena. The spectators remained on their feet for nearly 10 minutes, through the pre-match warmup, holding aloft phone cameras to capture the moment.
As his parents and wife sat in front-row seats behind a baseline, there were a couple of early forehands that sailed several feet too long. There also was a forehand that slid right between Sock and Tiafoe and seemed too good to be true — and, it turned out, was: The ball travelled through a gap below the net tape and so the point was taken away from Federer and Nadal.Although it amounted to, essentially, a glorified exhibition, all four doubles participants played as if they wanted to win.
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 23: Roger Federer of Team Europe shows emotion alongside Rafael Nadal following their final match during Day One of the Laver Cup at The O2 Arena on September 23, 2022 in London, England. Roger vs. Rafa — just one name apiece required — belongs up there with McEnroe vs. Borg , Evert vs. Navratilova, Sampras vs. Agassi, Ali vs. Frazier, Magic vs. Bird, Brady vs. Manning, and so on.
"Two of the 'GOATs' playing together," said Sock, using the popular acronym for "Greatest of All-Time."
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