Google News
The fifth edition of the Laver Cup takes place this weekend in London. The tennis fans will remember it as one of the most important events in the Open era, with the 20-time Major winner Roger Federer ending his glorious career on Friday night.
Federer will play his last match with his great rival Rafael Nadal by his side, picking Rafa as his partner in the final chapter of his outstanding tennis journey. To make things even better, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are also in London, forming an incredible Team Europe and chasing the fifth Laver Cup trophy.
Rafa arrived in London on Thursday, and four legends met on the practice court soon after. Nadal and Federer trained with Djokovic and Murray probably for the last time, forging an iconic picture that represents their success over the past two decades.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will play the doubles together on Friday.
Roger, Rafa, Novak and Andy have won 66 out of 77 Major titles since Wimbledon 2003, dominating the rest of the field like no group behind them and accumulating 933 weeks on the ATP throne!
Nadal and Federer will share the same side of the court for the second time, making their debut at the inaugural Laver Cup in Prague 2017. Murray will meet Alex de Minaur ahead of the anticipated doubles clash on an opening day, and maybe we will see the Briton and the Serb together on the court on Saturday or Sunday.
This memorable weekend will celebrate Roger Federer's glorious career and everything he has achieved on and off the court. The Swiss has been dealing with a knee injury for three years, struggling in the second part of 2019 and deciding to undergo surgery in February 2020.
Roger played only one tournament that year and skipped the rest of the action after the second surgery in May. Eager to make a comeback, Federer returned to the court in Doha 2021 and played two Majors in Paris and London. The Swiss withdrew ahead of the Roland Garros fourth round to preserve his knee for the grass swing.
He experienced an early loss in Halle and played better at Wimbledon to become the oldest quarter-finalist in the Open era! The pain was still there, though, and Federer lost to Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets. He experienced a bagel in the third and felt terribly on the court, with the third surgery coming a few weeks later.
As it turned out, Federer failed to train without the pain and decided to end his career in London on Friday.
