Federer with tears in his eyes: ‘It’s the ending I hoped for, the ending I wanted’

After the end of the match with Sock/Tiafoe for the Laver Cup, which was also his farewell to active action, Roger Federer stood on the court for the last time with tears in his eyes and made statements in front of the cameras.

The Swiss, who hid his face several times to keep his eyes from tears, spoke of a final performance exactly the way he wanted it, with tennis legends at his side, on and off the court, and his family.

First he said:

“It was a great day, I’m happy, I’m not sad. I enjoyed playing again, I enjoyed being here with the lads. I felt at one point in the game that I was short I was about to get injured somewhere but everything was going well. I play in the same team with Rafa and it was impressive to have all these legends of the sport next to me and in the stands.”

When asked about playing alongside Nadal in his last game, he said:

“It’s incredible, it’s been great. I didn’t want to feel alone out there. I felt like part of a team. In individual sport you don’t feel that. I’ve been with people that we’ve worked with for so many years. It’s the ending I hoped for, the ending I wanted. Thank you.”

While arguing for his overall course:

“It wasn’t planned that way, I started playing with my friends and ended up here today. It was great, I had so much fun, so many people supported me from the stands and thank you.”

Where Federer really cracked was when he was asked to address the world around him while discussing his wife and parents:

“I want to avoid that part. Because I relate to people who are very close to me. We had a great time over those years. Everyone is here, my wife, my girls, my boys. He could have asked me to stop here and too long, instead she urged me to continue. I always found it amusing to blame my mother for everything, I thank my parents for what they have done for me. It’s an incredible night, thank you all.”