We all remember the farewell to tennis of Roger Federer during the Making Cup 2022! We could have believed that it would also be and this time those of Rafael Nadal during the Laver Cup 2024 ! But finally… in short and even so much the better, this will not be the case! In the end, it remains a very big loss especially for the Making Cup 2024.
Video – Rafael Nadal’s confidences at El Hormiguero
After the packages of Tommy Paul et Alex de Minaur in Team World, replaced by Francisco Cerundolo et Thanasi Kokkinakisit’s the turn of Rafael Nadal to withdraw from the exhibition tournament, which will take place at Berlin from September 20 to 22. Not seen on the courts since Paris Olympic Games and his defeat against Novak Djokovic in singles then his beautiful run in doubles with Carlos Alcarazthe man with 22 Grand Slam titles does not feel ready to return. His replacement is not yet known. For the moment, the last meeting of the Majorcan in 2024 is therefore the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabiaanother exhibition with Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune from October 16 to 19.
“I wish the European team good luck”
“I am really disappointed to announce that I will not be able to participate in the Laver Cup in Berlin next week. This is a team competition and to truly support Team Europe I have to do what is best for them and right now there are other players who can help the team achieve victory. I have so many great memories from the Laver Cup and I was really looking forward to being with my teammates and with Bjorn for his last year as captain. I wish Team Europe the best of luck and will be cheering them on from afar,” said Nadal.
A statement from @RafaelNadal regarding Laver Cup Berlin 2024: “I’m really disappointed to share that I won’t be able to compete at the Laver Cup in Berlin next week.
This is a team competition and to really support Team Europe, I need to do what’s best for them and at this… pic.twitter.com/Y9i0T61kbA
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 12, 2024
Remember… the 2022 Laver Cup and Roger Federer’s farewell!
A chapter has ended. Tennis fans could (almost) not have dreamed of a better last dance of the Maestro. Associated with his friend and greatest rival Rafael Nadal for the double, Roger Federer made his very last official appearance on a court this Friday evening in a night session at the Making Cup“his” competition, after 24 years of career. Despite a match point, the historic duo Medal bowed to the pair Jack Sock/Frances Tiafoethe legend’s last opponents, in the super tie-break with a score of 4-6, 7-6(2), 11-9. But it doesn’t matter. A very moving end, for the public, for Rafaand especially for the twenty-time Grand Slam winner. As soon as the match ended, the Swiss, applauded by theO2 Arena Londoncould not hold back his tears. An extraordinary tribute. Proof of his great class, he invited his entire team onto the court to share this moment.
“Looking forward to next year, I’ll be there too.”
He may not be playing but @rogerfederer‘s in for #LaverCup 2023. pic.twitter.com/IcjGuU9FYj
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 25, 2022
“I can’t thank my team enough“
This Sunday, his team lost. The fault was Felix Auger-Aliassime et Frances Tiafoe. Roger So he leaves with a more than anecdotal defeat. One thing is sure, he will return next year… With or without a racket: “I enjoyed every minute of it. It was awesome and full of emotions. I can’t thank my team enough. Bjorn, you are the king, I love you. I can’t wait for next season, I will be there. It was a wonderful day. I am happy, I am not sad. Everyone is here, my family, my team, my friends. I wanted to experience exactly this kind of emotion. It’s great to be here. I was worried because I didn’t want something to spoil the party like an injury… I didn’t want to be alone to experience this moment. I’ve always felt like a team player. It’s really a party. It’s been a great journey. Playing with Rafa on the same team, and having the guys, everyone here, all the legends – Rocket, Edberg, Stefan – thank you. I didn’t want to experience this moment alone but to share it with all of you, and I did. I’ve always felt like a team player so it’s perfect. I really wanted it to be a great party. My career has been an amazing journey. I owe it to my team, to my wife who has always kept me going and to my parents who have always been there for me. It’s like a celebration for me. I wanted to feel like this at the end, it’s exactly what I hoped for. Thank you all, thank you very much. My wife has been very supportive. She could have stopped me a long time ago, but she didn’t. She kept me going and playing. It’s amazing. Thank you.“
“I can’t have a better memory”
More calm, he delivered a few words at a press conference. “At times I was terribly nervous, like before a big final. Then at other times I completely forgot about it because I was with the guys and we were joking, with these classic nonsense you forget everything, you forget reality. The last two days were difficult, but I forgot all that. I slept well, I was able to enjoy it, so everything was wonderful, I can’t have a better memory. If everything had been perfect, without any stress, I would only remember half of it“.
“I think overall I did well, although I ended up crying too.”
“Because of how I was feeling, I feel like I’ve been through a lot of trouble with retirement over the last month, I’ve seen that I can actually handle it pretty well. I know there are people on my team and in my inner circle who haven’t been through those same emotions before tonight, so it was extremely difficult for them to deal with tonight. I think overall I handled it pretty well, even though I ended up crying myself. I didn’t have fireworks going on in my head where I was watching my career go by, or the things I’m going to miss, I did that weeks ago. At the time, I felt pain, but tonight it was just happiness.“
“It’s not the end, life goes on, I’m healthy and I’m happy, everything is fine”
“The thing I was most worried about was getting on the mic, all I said to Tony (Godsick) was that I wanted to have a night where I didn’t have to get on the mic, even though it made sense that I would have to talk. In my mind, I don’t do it, because I know how impossible I am on the mic when I’m excited, it’s happened to me many times. But it’s not the end, life goes on, I’m healthy and I’m happy, everything’s fine. Everything went well, I got to say everything I wanted to say, I got to go everywhere thanks to Jim (Courier), who was very kind. I really worried about this moment weeks ago.”
If there’s one thing you watch today, make it this.#LaverCup | @rogerfederer pic.twitter.com/Ks9JqEeR6B
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 23, 2022
“Maybe there will be another opportunity to celebrate together”
“My main message has always been to convey my passion for the sport to the fans and to let them know that I hope we meet again on a stage other than a tennis court, anywhere in the world. I have no plans whatsoever as to where, how or when. All I know is that I would like to play in places I have never played before, to thank the people who have supported me for so long. The difficult thing about the Laver Cup is that it was a sell-out, a lot of people who wanted to be there couldn’t, so maybe there will be another opportunity to celebrate together.”
