Federer’s tennis goodbye: emotional doubles with Rafael Nadal, his trusted left-hand man

If Roger Federer could not retire from tennis with a championship, then he would take the sentimental alternative, leaving not a dry eye in the house | WATCH

Roger Federer of Team Europe gets emotional alongside Rafael Nadal following his final ever match during Day One of the Laver Cup at The O2 Arena on September 23 in London.

It had to be Rafael Nadal. Of course it did.

If Roger Federer could not retire from tennis with a championship Sunday, then he would take the sentimental alternative. The Swiss legend’s 41-year-old body failed him to the point that a return to high-level singles was not possible — there would be no Wimbledon, no U.S. Open, no more trophies to add to his 20 lifetime majors and legacy as the sport’s most graceful player.

Instead, Federer said an emotional goodbye here Friday, in the O2 Arena, at his bespoke event, the Laver Cup, playing doubles — preferred discipline of the cautious middle aged — with a balky knee and a familiar Spanish lefty at his side.

Roger & Rafa. One more for the road.

There they were, rivals turned friends, forever stylistic opposites — Nadal the relentless dynamo who paces like a cage fighter; Federer the barely-perspiring artiste who plays as if he’s wearing a fitted dinner jacket.

Federer waves to the crowd.

There are 42 singles majors between them — and not for nothing, they’re two of the most famous bandannas in sports.

Was it fun? Of course. Was it moving? What do you think?

Just the sight of “Fedal” taking the court to play Jack Sock and U.S. Open breakout Frances Tiafoe at 10pm. London time — after an Ironman of an Andy Murray-Alex de Minaur match — was a goosebump provocation.

Federer hugs wife Mirka.

The Laver Cup, named for the Aussie great Rocket Rod, is a three-day, Ryder-Cup-style team tournament featuring many of the world’s best men’s players. This year’s edition added global significance on Sept. 15, when Federer announced his retirement from competitive tennis and declared it would be his last event.

The end was here. Fed would play Friday and Friday only. London is his Goodbye Cake.

He’s been eating it up, merrily. This week has played out as an impromptu Federer career celebration, the imminent retiree bathing in tributes from upstart contenders like Tiafoe and Stefanos Tsitsipas as well as from ageing rivals like Djokovic, who decorously remembered all of his painful losses to Federer before breathing a word of his victories.

On Thursday, Fed and the lads went out for a spin on the Thames in their tuxedos. The vibe here hasn’t been bittersweet — it’s been more like an Ocean’s 11 reunion, Federer serving in the Sinatra/Clooney part as the eminence grise.

Nadal and Federer teamed for Laver Cup dubs before — at the inaugural event, in Prague 2017 — but Friday was obviously different. The score felt beside the point. Sock and Tiafoe, talents both but no strangers to satellite courts, played wonderfully, but seemed happy to take a supporting role to their elders across the net.

Federer bows out.

It was hard not to feel all that headbanded history rush back — after all, it was the teenage, Capri-panted Nadal who’d first punctured Federer’s dominance in the 2000s. Later Federer and Nadal stood shoulder to shoulder in the twilight after Nadal’s 2008 victory at Wimbledon, a match considered to be one of the greatest ever. More recently, Nadal stood awe-struck in Melbourne after Federer’s comeback triumph at the 2017 Australian Open.

Over time, this rivalry morphed into a mutual appreciation and a protective trust. Along with Djokovic (21 majors, and the youngest of the three) Federer and Nadal have held men’s tennis in thrall for close to two decades. Few sports have been as privileged, and in Federer’s exit, an era’s sunset is under way.

As for the doubles, Rog looked … pretty good! After a year away from competition, there was some understandable rust, but he moved fluidly on a court with three match-fit players. Now he’s turning over his roster slot to alternate Matteo Berrettini, but he played like he belonged out there. This was no last gasp.

When this delightfully entertaining match finally wrapped, close to half past midnight — Youth prevailing wickedly over Wisdom, 4-6, 7-6(2), 11-9 in a tie-break decider — Federer and Nadal embraced in defeat as the crowd erupted.

This all really meant something. Federer may have been a stoic during pressurised moments, but he was never afraid to acknowledge his personal joy or heartbreak. His fan base, the biggest in tennis, rode this roller coaster with him, from his debut years as a tetchy, ponytailed phenom to his extended autumn collecting titles as a father and statesman.

Now, Federer returned the love one last time, choking up when he talked about the support of his wife, Mirka, as well as the presence of the 84-year-old Laver and Federer’s childhood tennis idol, Stefan Edberg.

“I would do it all over again,” he said. “Thank you, everybody.” Behind Federer, Nadal wept, too.

Who knows? Maybe this was not the last time they do this.

It’s tempting to imagine them, three or four decades from now, living across the street from each other in a nice senior community somewhere. They’re a couple of guys with stiff legs and iffy shoulders, signing up for early morning dubs with retired cardiologists before the midday sun starts to blaze.

Hi, I’m Roger.

Hey, I’m Rafa.

(Federer spins racket) Up or down — you choose.

The Wall Street Journal