Xtra Time Web Desk: It was quite an emotional night on Friday at the O2 arena in London as legendary Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer bid farewell to professional tennis. There were tears in the eyes of everyone present at the stadium for Federer’s last competitive match in Laver Cup. Nadal was seen hugging Federer like a baby with tears flowing after the match. Federer too broke down in tears as he bowed out of professional tennis, saying: It has been a perfect journey.
Federer’s illustrious career ended in defeat though. The 41-year-old could not hold back the tears in front of 17,500 fans at the O2 Arena as he paid tribute to his parents, wife Mirka, two sets of twins, close friends, coaches and colleagues.
“It’s been a wonderful day. I’m happy, not sad. It feels great to be here. I’m happy I made it through,” he said.
“It feels great to be here. I enjoyed tying my shoes for the last time. Everything was for the last time. Being here with the fans, my family and friends, it didn’t feel stressful – even though I thought I might block a back or something. I’m happy I got through it. The match was great. I couldn’t be happier.
“I didn’t want it to feel lonely out there. To say goodbye in a team, well I thought I was a team player at heart. It does feel like a celebration to me. That’s exactly what I hoped for. I was happy to play tennis and spend time with my friends. It has been a perfect journey, I would do it all over again.
“Everybody is here tonight, which is great. My wife has been so supportive. She could have stopped me a long time ago, but she didn’t. She let me carry on playing, which is amazing.”