Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer (Twitter)
Roger Federer is all set to bid farewell to tour-level tennis as he plays his final match on Friday at the Laver Cup. The Swiss legend will team up with long-time rival Rafael Nadal to face the American duo of Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock. The match will begin after Andy Murray’s singles encounter with Alex de Minaur.
The two Americans will be representing Team World in the Ryder Cup-style event. Their names will be in the history books as they are set to be remembered as the last opponents of Roger Federer on the tour. On what will be an immensely emotional night session at the O2 Arena on Friday, Tiafoe and Sock will have to stay focused to defeat to of the greatest tennis players of all time.
Sock is one of the better doubles players and a former world No. 2. He has already won a couple of tournaments this season. He teamed up with John Isner at the Indian Wells Masters and went the distance. At the Citi Open, he teamed with an in-form Nick Kurgios and went on to win the tournament. Tiafoe might not be the best tennis player going around but he showed great promise in the singles event in Flushing Meadows. He defeated Rafael Nadal in the fourth round before losing to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals. The 24-year-old will be coming into the tournament with great confidence.
All eyes will be on the dream team of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. They might have been arch-rivals on the court but they share tremendous mutual respect and the Spaniard has mentioned how big an honor it is for him to team with the 20-time Grand Slam champion in the latter’s last tour-level match. Federer will be returning to action for the first time after facing defeat at the Wimbledon 2021 quarterfinals against Hubert Hurkacz. The 41-year-old recovered from a knee injury and recently announced that the Laver Cup will be his last professional assignment.
Nadal has also had his share of struggles with injuries. The southpaw had to pull out ahead of the Wimbledon semi-final encounter with Nick Kyrgios as he had suffered a tear in his abdomen. He made some adjustments to his serving technique and played the Cincinnati Masters and the US Open without much success. The 22-time Grand Slam champion will be looking forward to giving his friend a grand farewell. Federer and Nadal have not played doubles too often. Nadal has won 138 matches and lost 78 and won 11 titles on the tour. Federer has played just a few more matches and won 131 and lost 92. The Swiss superstar has won 8 titles on the tour. After this match, Federer’s place will be taken by Italian youngster Matteo Berrettini.
Prediction: Let’s keep predictions aside for this match and enjoy watching Roger Federer for one last time on the tour.
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