- Roger Federer will play his last match of his career in Laver Cup doubles.
- The 41-year-old has struggled with a knee problem and will be replaced.
- By Matteo Berrettini, the first alternate for the team tournament.
Roger Federer will play his last match of his illustrious career in the Laver Cup doubles event on Friday night in London.
The team tournament, which begins at the 02 on Friday, is where the 20-time Grand Slam champion announced last week that he would retire.
He has struggled with a knee problem and does not feel able to play singles.
“It’s an event I don’t want to mess with, but I know my limitations,” said the 41-year-old Swiss, who hopes to pair up with old rival Rafael Nadal.
Then, over the weekend, Federer will be replaced by Italian Matteo Berrettini, the first alternate for the team tournament.
Hubert Hurkacz defeated Roger Federer in the Wimbledon quarterfinals of last year, which was his last competitive match.
In the three-day Laver Cup, Europe competes against a team from the rest of the world. Each team’s six players are typically required to play at least one singles match.
“I asked [Europe captain] Bjorn [Borg] if I could play one doubles, on Friday night, then Matteo comes in,” Federer told a news conference.
“I’m nervous, I haven’t played in so long.”
His last matchup might be versus Nadal, the legendary Spaniard.
“It is clear that the most beautiful thing would be to play doubles here with Nadal, because it has been my great rivalry,” he said.
Federer told: “I want to play at a level that is also OK for me but also for the fans and the event, also enjoy myself but at the same time I want to try my best and to soak it all in.
“Eurgh, it’s going to be very different this next 48-72 hours but I want to look forward to it, I signed up for it and I wanted to – when I announced it – be around.
“I wanted to not just put out the news and be a ghost, I didn’t want that, I wanted to be around.
“At the Laver Cup I have a wonderful platform being surrounded by everybody and feeling like it’s a party.”
Squad Europe will compete against a world team that consists of Taylor Fritz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Diego Schwartzman, Alex de Minaur, Frances Tiafoe, and Jack Sock. Team Europe also includes Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Casper Ruud, and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Two singles matches from Friday’s afternoon session are followed by another singles match and a doubles match in the evening.
Federer stated that his longevity made him most proud, and that it made sense for him to retire in London because it had been “probably the most special place” in his career.
“You don’t need all the records to be happy, I can tell you that,” the eight-time Wimbledon champion added.
The Swiss player previously disclosed that his decision to retire occurred after he “stopped believing” that his ailments would prevent him from playing any longer.
“I knew I was on very thin ice for the last year, ever since I played Wimbledon,” he said.
“I tried to come back but there was a limit to what I could do.”
