Roger Federer’s last match ends in loss with Rafael Nadal at Laver Cup originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Roger Federer’s last tennis match ended in a narrow defeat.
Following his retirement announcement on Sept. 15, Federer laced up his tennis shoes one last time in a doubles match with Rafael Nadal at the Laver Cup in London on Friday.
However, the Team World pairing of Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock pulled off the victory in three sets in Federer’s last match.
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The contest started off strong for Federer and Nadal. They grabbed the first set 6-4, but Tiafoe and Sock fought back in the second and won it 7-6 (7-2).
In the tiebreaker set for the win, all four tennis athletes gave it their all in a lengthy showdown. The rallies came in bunches, but Tiafoe and Sock came out victorious 11-9 to claim the game.
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Perhaps the marquee difference between the two sides was the win percentage on second serves. The Tiafoe-Sock duo logged a 57% win percentage while Federer and Nadal came in at 42%.
After the match, Federer received a standing ovation and gave a nostalgic speech in his final post-game interview.
Federer and Nadal faced off against one another in doubles matches three times (2004, 2007 and 2011) but joined forces only once prior to Friday. That came in the 2017 Laver Cup where the duo beat Samuel Querrey and Sock 6-4, 1-6, 10-5.
One of the greatest athletes of all-time in any sport, Federer ended his 24-year career with 369 Major match wins, 103 ATP singles titles, 20 Grand Slams, two Olympic medals (including gold in doubles in 2008) and plenty more.
