Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will be on the same side of the net for doubles at the Laver Cup on Friday night. And then it will be over.
The highly-anticipated Federer-Nadal pairing will mark the final match of the Swiss’ legendary career after he announced his upcoming retirement last week. Although Federer’s ongoing knee problems will not allow him to play singles at the O2 Arena in London this weekend, it was confirmed that he is good to go for doubles when the Day 1 schedule of play was released on Thursday afternoon.
Following three singles rubbers, Federer and Nadal will represent Team Europe in doubles against Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe of Team World.
“I think [playing with Nadal] could be obviously a special moment,” Federer said during a pre-tournament press conference before it was confirmed. “For us to go through a career that we both have had and to come out on the other side and being able to have a nice relationship, I think is maybe a great message as well to not just tennis but sports and maybe even beyond. For that reason I think it would be great.”
Now it’s a sure thing.
“I am not sure if I will be able to handle it all, but I will try,” the 41-year-old Swiss commented. “I’ve had some tough moments in the past, being horribly nervous. This match feels a whole lot different. Playing with Rafa feels really different.”
“(It’s) gonna be difficult to handle everything, especially for Roger, without a doubt,” Nadal added. “For me, too. At the end, one of the most important players–if not most important player in my tennis career–is leaving. (To) live this moment will be difficult. Of course I am super excited and grateful to play with him.
“After all the amazing things that we shared together on and off court, to be part of this historic moment [will be] unforgettable for me. I hope I can play at a good level. Hopefully together we can create a good moment and hopefully win a match.”
Federer and Nadal have teamed up at the Laver Cup once before, defeating Sock and Sam Querrey 6-4, 1-6, 10-5 at the 2017 event in Prague. Team Europe is 4-0 all time in this competition after destroying Team World 14-1 last year in Boston.
let’s go
Oh my gosh, just reading this alone is getting me quite emotional!! 😪
Oh my gosh, that time is really here!! Roger is retiring!! I never thought I would feel that way about his retirement but I suppose I should not be surprised bcoz he and Rafa have had one of the most important rivalries in sports history! I am super happy he chose Rafa to play his final match with………that is really special. After the match, win or lose, there won’t be a dry eye in the house!!! Tickets r probably completely sold out and in high demand!! I definitely won’t miss this match for the world!!!!
It’s no surprise that Roger chose Rafa for this doubles match! After all, who else would he chose, Stan? But Stan is injured! I really do hope they win!! But it must still be a special moment for Sock and Tiafoe to play with Roger the last match of his career!!! Can’t wait to c the match!!
Vamos!!
1998 Wimbledon Boys Final – Roger Federer v Irakli Labadze
https://youtu.be/49Lxtvg3CSs
Yeah will be quite a party afterwards.
Is anyone watching the doubles match? 😄
Going great so far! Roger”s serves r still very potent!! They look like they’re really having fun out there!! 🤪🤣 Rafa seems to be in his element!!! Good stuff!!
Vamos!!
I watched it. I really thought they would win. One more victory for Fed.
Very emotional.
Yeah very emotional for Fed, Rafa is also crying, omg! They really like each other, hope that they can meet in future in the senior tours, or in some exhibition matches.
Best wishes to you Fed, all the best!
Oh man, this is emotional stuff. Roger Federer, you are an inspiration and a ROLE MODEL. THank you so much for all you’ve given to this sport and its viewers.
I can’t believe it has happened. How time flew by us!
I am going to the day session tomorrow. Hope I get to see Rafa play but looks like they’ll put him on the night session given he is finishing so late tonight.
Sorry, but I’m reading that Rafa isn’t going to play any more Laver Cup this year. Guess he just came for Roger’s Last Match.
Bit sad they lost their Last Match, but it was a great match and very, very close, even for dubs. I thought it’d be a tough match since neither Rafa nor Roger has played dubs in years! They did very well, considering!
Hey Ramara, yes very disappointing 🙁 had bought expensive tickets to see the Big 3 play. Weirdly they have put Novak’s matches in the evening BACK TO BACK?!
Any one at the O2 and would like to meet up, let me know! I am watching Norrie vs Fritz
Ah, I’m so bummed they lost!! They had their chances but Rafa was playing very nervously the first TB and then then second the nerves were still apparent. However, they played excellent! Nice farewell for Roger, sad we won’t get to see him play on the tour, it has been a treat! 😄
Rafa has said in hid interview in Spanish that he is withdrawing, he is going through stressful time personally , he has not slept properly now for days…it’s just that things were a bit okay n he could come here for 2 days to be part of Roger’s farewell.
BTW another startling revelation…rafa said he injured his abs twice…once wimbledon…once newyork..so that’s twice…I’m sure he’s calling it a stop to the season..
BTW when rafa said with Roger a part of me has gone ,I felt a very bad feeling thar no more slams for rafa ..his heart n mind will it muster enough to overcome the ever breaking body ..feeling empty thoughts
Rafa will win more slams and he’s definitely not calling it quits for this season. He may have injured his abs twice but he played very well with federer at the laver cup and also his serve was fine which indicates his abs is either fine or much better.
His crying is for federer not for himself bc federer made him a better player especially outside of clay and they really like each other. NADAL HAS EXPRESSLY SAID WHEN HE RECEIVED HIS AWARD FROM THE KING OF SPAIN A WEEK AGO THAT HE IS FAR FROM RETIREMENT. I repeat FAR FROM RETIREMENT. That he intends to continue playing and carrying the flag for Spain in tennis. So that tells me that he intends to play for a few more years.
So all these doom and gloom for Rafa is unfounded. He sounded very positive in his interview at that award. No matter the injuries he has had, his foot issue is now fine with that ablation treatment and that was the ONLY thing that was making him consider retirement last year.
Nadal loves tennis and knows how to handle his body and injuries and also he intends to play the tournament in Paris and the ATP finals this year, it’s in his schedule. His wife will soon deliver but that is not going to slow him down or stop him from tennis. He has made that emphatically clear.
Djokovic intends to play for 5-6yrs and win 30 slams as said by his coach, so if Djoko is that motivated, so is Nadal. He wants to win more slams and he certainly will win MORE SLAMS. I am very confident about that. What he achieved this year was a miracle and that tells me all I need to know about his chances going forward. People forget that Rafa also wants to end with more slams than Djoko, that race is still on and that also motivates him though he’ll never admit it. PS, Rafa still has unfinished business in Roland garros. If he’s healthy in it next year, he’s the favorite as usual, period.
I wasn’t impressed with the level of tennis at the US OPEN FINAL from alcaraz. If djoko was allowed to play, he would have beaten alcaraz and won the US OPEN. Not buying the overhype of alcaraz with 3 consecutive 5sets he played and couldn’t even dispatch RUUD in straight sets n it almost went to a fifth set again. Djoko would have had a field day with him with Djoko being absolutely superior in hard courts and grass. So Djoko will come back with vengeance as expected.
Federer is an exceptional tennis player and his fluidity and artistry in tennis is unparalleled and I was emotional seeing him cry yesterday and Rafa too. I will miss him so much. His rivalry with Rafa was the best bc of their contrasting styles. I wish him the best in the future and pound for pound he’s the GOAT in grass and Wimbledon.
Vamos Rafa and Farewell Maestro federer.
Where did rafa say he will play Paris and Turin? I did not read anything like that…
Happy,
Thank you! Great post! I good you are right about Rafa! I was concerned after reading that Rafa injured the abdominal at the USO again.
I really appreciate your perspective on Alcaraz. I do think that Djoker would have beaten him.For that matter I think a healthy Rafa would have beaten him. I keep remembering how well he was playing at Wimbledon. That’s why I think he is not done.
I HOPE you are right about Rafa! *
I saw the entire doubles match…rafa was Def not playing well…he was making routine errors ..the return game was greatly deteriorated…ofcourse he never plays well on this court ..low bouncing indoor ..maybe the home situation…the pressure of playing the last match of Roger…maybe it was mix of all …I don’t want to read much into the perf perse yesterday.. I’m just worried of the body breaking down repeatedly and how much more can he go..
Novak is not going to win 30 slams…his coach can utter any gibberish…
Yest infact Roger played better than rafa…sorry but that’s a fact…have to tell what I see
This is a tribute to a retiring player and while you give respect there, why spoil it by bringing the Slam count/GOAT debate into it . As for bodies breaking down, it happens to all of us over thirty.
I doubt Rafa will play any more this year. So many physical/ mental/ emotional issues going on. He is going to have his first son in October !
If he injured his abdominal after 6 weeks at the USO then there is no reason he can’t injure it again so I can’t see why he would play Bercy. He keeps referring to his emotional and mental state which is obviously nowhere where it needs to be.
Far better to stay at home and support Mery and get his mind and body together for next year. Better to spend time on the tennis court working on his game for the AO.
Apparently Rafa left 02 early for “personal reasons.” Hope Mery and babe are OK.
Anyway, very glad to see Fed get the send off he deserves.
He and Rafa in tears holding hands was so iconic I doubt it will ever be repeated.
🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐
If it weren’t for the fact of it being Fed’s last match it’s pretty clear Rafa wouldn’t have come.
I see Novak thrashed Tiafoe. Especially impressive given he hasn’t played since wimby.
He would have beaten Alcaraz in straights in the USO final assuming that is when they met.
At some point soon Alcaraz is going to meet Novak playing lights out and get something of a reality check.
I too feel that if Djoko played at USO this year, he would have won the title beating Alcaraz or Ruud in the final. Djoko is blessed with a fit and healthy body even at age 35; both his level of tennis and his movement are still great, good enough for him to beat anyone to win Wimbledon, so there’s no reason that he couldn’t win at the HC slams.
I’m disappointed with Meddy’s level, he’s the defending champion at USO and with Djoko not being there and Rafa not in tip top conditions, Meddy should’ve taken advantage of that, yet he lost early! A top form Meddy I think could have beaten Alcaraz too in the final too!
For Rafa, I do hope that something could be done to help him deal with this Abs issue; he seems to suffer from it quite often when he is coming back from injuries. It’s such a hindrance to him, preventing him from playing at a high level, what a nuisance! Could his physical trainer or Dr Cotorro help?
I don’t think there is any doubt that Med playing at his real level would have beaten Alcaraz. But Med just lost to Stan! and is clearly out of form and low on confidence. Ever since he lost to Rafa he doesn’t seem remotely the same player.
Also against Stan when he got booed after throwing his racquet he started making monkey noises and gestures which was frankly very unpleasant and distasteful! I don’t know what is up with him.
Zverev dismantled Alcaraz at RG. He could have beaten him as well had he been fit.
I agree with Novak beating Alcaraz at the USO. Alcaraz struggled to beat his opponents so why this nonsense about him being unstoppable? That is just ridiculous. I can see Novak being around for a while. But I do not see him winning 30 slams.
Coaches need to STFU with these stupid predictions. It makes them look like arrogant morons. Ferrero with this bsabiut Alcaraz winning 22 slams was just ludicrous. Just go out there and play and earn the wins. Stop blabbing on about winning all these slams. Talk is cheap.,
Autocorrect again!
Ferrero with this BS about Alcaraz winning 22 slams.*
Yes! Let us not forget about Med! I thought he would get into really good form and be in the running for another final. He has not looked hood for a while now. But anyone who thinks that Alcaraz is just going to win everything is just drinking the koolaid.
Well, I would respect LSs analysis here , the other comnments are sounding rather like sour grapes for Alcaraz ,the new Spanish hero. A few weeks ago the same ‘analysts’ were saying Novak never played that well at the US Open . Now, he would have won with this poor field .By extrapolation, a fit Rafa would have won every US Open he played in.
Nice to know who you respect. But it’s not sour grapes. It’s what I think. The reason I now believe Novak would have beaten Alcaraz is because of how he had to struggle to win in five set matches, with Sinner having match point.
He did not play unbeatable tennis in the final. Hence why I now believe that Novak would have beaten him. But it’s hypothetical because it didn’t happen.
I don’t give a damn whether you respect my analysis or not. O certainly do not need your approval.
I was talking generally about the analysis not yours in particular . I wouldnt have responded otherwise due to the typical tone of it (STFU?) etc.
I suspect everything posted here about Alcaraz is related to a comparison with Nadal , who many on here had as the favourite .
Thats why I said I respected LS who usually gives an objective analysis .
I dont know how you can just assume Djoko would even have been in the final.Even if he was, he’s come up short a few times in the US eg last years final .
Then dont forget Sinner took Djoko to five sets at Wimby ,plus Alcaraz did beat Djoko at Madrid , so its not a gimme Djoko would have beaten this Alcaraz in the US Final.
Using letters is a better way than saying it. But I wanted to make a point. Coaches don’t need to run off at the mouth. They should do their job. Predicting 22 slams fir a 19 year old who just won his first slam is chutzpah and hubris of the highest order. There! Is that better language.
I have never been fond of anyone who boasts and brags. I dislike it. Always have. Let this kid just go out there and play.
I am at a place of peace with Rafa. There are no sour grapes on my part. I have always been a bit skeptical of the next great player in tennis. I have seen enough players shine brightly and then slip into obscurity. I am not saying that will happen with Alcaraz. I hope he has a long and healthy career. But there us no way to predict the future. Thiem’s wrist injury has derailed a very promising career. Zverev suffered a serious foot injury and is still having problems.
It is important to stay healthy and be able to keep competing. Delpo’s career was affected by his wrist surgeries and finally his knee. It’s hard to see that happening to any player.
It us not a gimme that Novak would have beaten Alcaraz. However, I do nit see him beating Novak in a slam. Beating Novak in a best of three set match is a whole other thing.
I remember Sinner going two sets up on Novak at Wimbledon. But he lost in five sets. Lack of experience. But I expect good things from him. He should not be forgotten in all the hyoe over Alcaraz.
Finally, I am not threatened by Alcaraz overtaking Rafa’s records. Rafa has proven his greatness. Seeing Rafa and Fed one last time was like a gift. It was a privilege to watch them. Fed won’t end with the most slams. But I don’t think that takes away from his records and achievements.
I happen to like Lucky’s analysis of tennis and the players. I enjoy reading her thoughts. We may not always agree but I always respect her point of view.
22 Slams? Its a stretch I agree, but there are subtle signs that the experts can see that we cant,eg Federer in his early days. They can even tell when a player is on the way out even when winning Slams .I remember reading about this after Sampras won his last Wimby in 2000.
I can also see the point that once the Big Three are out of the way, wheres the competition for Sinner and Alcaraz?
Tennistv have put up a compilation of Federers best shots ,including the five unique tactics he used, like the SABR, forehand ‘dropshot’ bluff.
I was crying along with Fed and Rafa after their last match. It really hit me that this was the last time we will see them play.
I will miss their rivalry so much.
It’s all on YouTube; you can relive it any time you want.
Really? Gee, didn’t know that! Obviously I was talking about future matches in competition.
We may see them in exhibition matches. But that us not the same as competing for slams. That part of the rivalry is over. That was my point.
So FAA beat Novak! I didn’t see the match but I read Novak wasn’t playing very well.
However, FAA just beat Alcaraz in Davis Cup so this is another impressive win. You never know with FAA who will show up but he is yet another player who looks vulnerable against lower ranked players and puts in big performances against the very best.
I thought he was going to have a slam breakthrough and then he lost early in wimby and USO. Although he was pretty unlucky at wimby because Cressy was playing lights out.
I think Djoko was injured and might not play in Tel Aviv
Djokovic lacked match fitness. They would’ve been better off with Carreno but it’s an exhibition and it was more about getting the players together than fielding the strongest possible team.
Tsitsi is emphatically not the player u want to have to depend on!
Reverse of clutch!
Very true about Tsitsi amy!…i wonder why Rog invited him?..he must know Tsitsi’s form is not very good atm?Why not invite Alcaraz?I think he’s a much better prospect than Tsitsi..
Hello mira!!😀
Well.I don’t altogether think you can blame Tsitsi when he did win his other singles matches! It was the British players who let the side down losing all their matches.
But it was really the send off for Fed that counted not the results!
I feel a bit sorry for Tsitsi. He is not my fave player but he is really underachieving due to nerves and tension.
Nice to c you mira!!
PS very bad to hear Rafa broke his ab again in New York! He seems very emotional about Mery and his personal life. Quite concerning.
I hope he stops playing for this year now.
Hey hey hey again amy!..yeah!..nice to c u too!😀
Yeah!..the send off was amazing!..and to embarassed myself in front of kids!..urgh!😁..but i love Fedal!..the emotions displayed was unbelievable!!
It’s irony isn’t it?..they won 5 times when he still play & lost when he is about to retire!..i also know they all want to win this & give a perfect retirement present to Rog..but it was not meant to be..feel sorry for player’s who lost..
About Rafa..after his defeat at USO,i was very curious what makes him played so poorly against Tiafoe..now i know the answer!…and i agree with u amy hope he will stop playing this year & recover from all his injuries..but..if he stop playing & not using his foot for a long period of time,then the possibility of his foot will inflame again due to a lack of playing will surface again right?..or not?..I donno..i guess we have to c what Rafa is going to do after the baby come out & things calm down a little bit for him…right now he’s a mess!
Well mira he doesn’t need to stop practising! It’s not practising which makes the foot worse. Look at Novak and how fantastic he was after months not playing. He had spent the time productively on the practice courts and improved his already excellent serve. He only lost to FAA because he hurt his wrist. So Rafa can work on his game and support Mery and generally get his head together.
I feel bad in a way talking about Rafa mira because this really was all about Fed and the end to his majestic career. I wish him every good fortune and feel sad we won’t see him play again. I think Rafa was upset because they lost the match and he felt he had let Roger down. Although of course that wasn’t why he was crying. That was sadness and empathy with Roger.
One thing that surprised me a lot is that Roger said d afterwards that Mirka really wanted him to play his last match with Rafa!!! That is quite an insight into how important Rafa is to Roger that his wife really wanted this!!😀
I am sure they have plans to play together in the future doing exhos and so on.
Talk soon!!!😀
Yeah amy!..u’re right!..as much as we want to talk about Rafa,this is about Rog..thousands apology to all Roger fans on here..i forgot!🙏
Thanks for the explaination amy!😀👍
Congrats to Team World. The one good thing is we won’t have to listen to pundits on How the Laver Cup Needs to Be Changed so Team World has a prayer. But I’m afraid what happened is that the Big Four has aged out, at least for this year. Rafa/Roger lost their dubs – very close match where Fed actually held a match point on his once unstoppable serve. Then Andy lost in singles. Novak looked unstoppable yesterday and unfit today, something going on with his wrist maybe, anyway, he couldn’t serve worth a darn. They’re all 35+ and not getting any younger.
Gosh Ramara, Fed hasn’t played in forever and Andy hasn’t been a major player in ages. Not comparable to Rafole who are still dominating the slams.
I did hear Novak hurt his wrist but his demolition of Tiafoe yesterday after not playing for months shows what a force he is on hard courts. It is true though that Rafole are more inconsistent.