The reunion of the Huge 4 of males’s tennis – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray – is what makes the 2022 Laver Cup particular. That is the primary time it has occurred ever that these 4 are a part of the identical staff and the primary time since 2019 Australian Open that they’re a part of the identical event. With Laver Cup into its closing day, Djokovic teased followers of one other reunion sooner or later whereas making a particular request to Federer to make a U-turn on his retirement.
Federer introduced his retirement from tennis on the finish of the doubles match alongside Nadal on Friday on the Laver Cup in London. It introduced an finish to an impressive 24-year-long profession for the previous world no.1 who bagged 103 profession titles, together with 20 Grand Slams.
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Talking to the organisers after his win in a doubles alongside Matteo Berrettini that put Staff Europe 8-4 up on Saturday, Djokovic jokingly requested Federer to contemplate a comeback.
“I believe that this competitors – Laver Cup – is clearly the one competitors the place you possibly can have the best rivals in your life as your team-mates,” Djokovic stated.
“That is why we take pleasure in it very a lot. Making an attempt to marvel each single second spent on and off the courtroom, significantly this 12 months with the 4 of us teaming up – Andy, Roger, Rafa and myself – it is a distinctive expertise. I wanna say, most individuals suppose it is in all probability by no means going to occur once more, there’s all the time a hope that Roger will come again so we might play collectively once more.”
Comebacks from retirement has been a pattern on this planet of sports activities, however Federer, in an interview final week had clarified that he is not going to be contemplating that possibility sooner or later, though he did point out that he would need to play an increasing number of exhibition matches and that he will probably be visiting all of the Grand Slams subsequent 12 months to say his closing goodbye.