Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, a group of the three greatest men’s tennis players of all time and the four defining competitors of the generation, gathered for their Laver Cup press conference on Thursday , when they all converged. for the last time as professionals.
As they reminisced about their old matches and laughed about shared memories, glorious or devastating depending on the perspective, Federer chimed in: “Sitting here, it feels good that I’m going first of the boys,” he said with a smile. “It feels good.”
In many ways, this latest chapter in Federer’s career is a bleak one. Despite his reputation for avoiding serious injury throughout his career, his later years have been ravaged by physical problems. Unlike Serena Williams’ recent intense and competitive outing, Federer can’t trust his knee to last more than a short doubles match. In his final bout alongside Team Europe teammate Nadal, he will step into the O2 Arena on Friday night against World Team Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock hoping to compete at a respectable level.
But the circumstances are right. He will be rejected by three of the toughest opponents of his life, players who with him have defined this last decade and a half of tennis, pushing him forward in many ways. Between them, they’ve won 66 Grand Slam titles, faced each other 234 times and spent 933 weeks at No. 1. For more than a decade, they set up the later stages of every major event and prevented almost everyone else from were successful
“Tomorrow will be something special,” Nadal said. “I think it’s very difficult, difficult. It’s going to be difficult to manage everything, especially for Roger, no doubt. For me too. In the end, one of the most important players, if not the most important player in my tennis career, he’s leaving, isn’t he?”
Federer arrived first and at 41 will leave in that order. Five years older than Nadal, the 36-year-old set the bar high, winning his first Grand Slam title in 2003, representing his dominance and forcing everyone else to catch up. Nadal followed, a teenage supernova who first settled on the mud and then got stuck elsewhere.
Just as they had built a rivalry in two parts, their games and personalities starkly contrasting, Djokovic, now 35, broke through the seemingly impenetrable barrier they had built and marked himself as their equal. While the 35-year-old Murray hasn’t quite kept up with the big three, for years he was the only other player to consistently match them at the biggest events.
Over time they pushed each other, forcing others to take their games to greater heights. They’ve had some of the best matches ever and broken hearts consistently.
Alongside the clear respect, there have naturally been many moments of tension.
Now, they will play out the final moments of Federer’s career on the same side of the court. “We will do our best to contribute to the team and perform well, but at the same time marvel and celebrate his career, because he deserves it in a fantastic way,” said Djokovic.