Roger Federer meets Djokovic & Murray ahead of Laver Cup, Nadal fans ask ‘who’s missing?’
Having failed in his quest to return to court, Roger Federer announced that the upcoming Laver Cup 2022 would be his final tournament.
Roger Federer is all set to call time on his illustrious career following the Laver Cup 2022 event at the O2 in London this weekend. The tennis legend has not taken the court since Wimbledon last year following the surgery on his knee. Having failed in his quest to return to court, Federer announced that the upcoming Laver Cup 2022 would be his final tournament. Ahead of the start of the Laver Cup 2022, the stars taking part in the event dressed up on Wednesday and took part in the official group photoshoot.
Laver Cup 2022: Roger Federer poses with Team Europe
Federer alongside Casper Ruud, Rafael Nadal, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and alternate player Matteo Berrettini will represent Team Europe during Laver Cup, with captain Bjorn Borg leading the side.
Federer took to Twitter and shared a picture in which the side can be seen posing for a selfie in front of the Tower Bridge and the Thames river before the tournament at the O2 arena gets underway on Friday, September 23. The image featured Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Matteo Berrettini.
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Netizens, however, could not help but notice that 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal was missing from the picture. Interestingly only hours ago, the Spaniard had tweeted a message stating that he will be arriving for the tournament on Thursday. Nadal, in his tweet, tagged a video featuring Novak Djokovic and Matteo Berrettini with members of Team World practicing in the O2 Arena. He wrote, “Hey… I am coming tomorrow… Landing in London in the morning… wait for me.”
However, the fans were saddened by Rafael Nadal’s absence from the iconic photo featuring his long-term rivals.
When is Roger Federer playing his last-ever tennis match?
Under Laver Cup rules, every player must feature in at least one singles match unless they are replaced before the second day. Federer had said he was hoping to play doubles with Rafael Nadal before Matteo Berrettini replaces him for the rest of the tournament. While addressing the media ahead of Laver Cup, the 20-time Grand Slam champion said “It is clear that the most beautiful thing would be to play doubles here with Nadal, because it has been my great rivalry.”
During a press conference held at the arena on Wednesday, Federer admitted that he is in love with the sport and that it is difficult for him to stay away from it. He said, “I just wanted to let the fans know I won’t be a ghost. I talked about (Europe captain) Bjorn Borg. I don’t think he returned to Wimbledon for 25 years. I don’t think I’ll be that guy and I feel tennis has given me too much. I have been around the game for too long. Have fallen in love with too many things.”
