ATP Tour

Federer, Ruud & Fritz reflect on Roger's 'unforgettable' final night

Four years on, Roger Federer’s final night at The O2 remains one of the most memorable occasions in tennis.

From Federer’s emotional farewell alongside Rafael Nadal to Casper Ruud’s surreal glimpse of the sport’s biggest names in practice and Taylor Fritz’s memories of a Team World side few backed to win, each remembers the night differently. With the Laver Cup back at The O2 in London this week, they offer three unique perspectives on a night that brought generations together and marked the end of Federer’s career.

“A lot of memories. Especially if I get asked, I see myself struggling on the mic, trying to say thank you to everybody,” Federer told ATPTour.com when asked about his retirement in 2022. “Or the doubles with Rafa, I see all the highlights. It was just an amazing time in my career.

“I’m happy I could live it this way on a tennis court, because that was my last tennis wish I had: to finish in a match outfit, not in a suit. I was able to accomplish that with a lot of hard work through rehab.”

Federer had spent the months before the Laver Cup working his way back from knee problems that had kept him out of action. For the 20-time major champion, it was the ending he had hoped for: one final match in front of a packed London crowd, with Nadal by his side and former rivals Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray watching from the Team Europe bench.

For the then-23-year-old Ruud, who was part of that team, there was another surreal sight from the week that has stayed with him ever since.

“I remember the four of them going out to play a doubles set in practice, and I took this picture of them on my phone,” Ruud said, referring to ‘The Big Four’. “They all had their bags and they looked like they were like 12 years old, about to go and play a fun match. It’s a picture I have on my phone that I will keep forever.”

It was a fitting snapshot of a remarkable week for Ruud, who had enjoyed the best season of his career to that point and risen to a career-high No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings. He had just reached the final of the US Open when he arrived in London, and suddenly found himself sharing a team with Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray as the sport prepared for Federer’s retirement.

“It was rather emotional, beautiful and incredible at the same time,” Ruud said. “I came into the arena a few days ago and I had a flashback from standing just behind the bench when he went out and had his ceremony. It was very, very emotional. Everyone was trying to hold back their tears.

“It was like a childhood dream. I was in the midst of a great year. I had maybe my best year on Tour, and I just came from the US Open, where I reached the final. I was really on cloud nine: I just had one incredible experience after the other. It was definitely another memory out of that year, which I will take with me forever."

Then there was Fritz, who remembers the week rather differently. While Team Europe arrived with Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray on the same side, Team World was left to joke about its chances of actually winning anything.

“Because of the fact they had Murray, Rafa and Novak, I remember everyone just making jokes about how we were gonna get destroyed,” Fritz said. “Their team was so strong. The talks regarding Roger, I think he would want us to go as hard as we can.

“I think that Jack and Foe got a lot of hate for beating him in doubles because it was his last match. But I think what people don't get is that Roger would have been pretty upset if they just let him win. I'm so happy that I got the chance to play that year. That's one of my best memories when I look back at it. It was such an insane week.”

_{^{Roger Federer and Taylor Fritz at the 2022 Laver Cup. Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Laver Cup.}}

Fritz’s point also captures the slightly strange position Team World found themselves in that night. There was genuine affection for Federer and plenty of awareness that they were part of his farewell, but once the match started, Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe were still trying to win, and they did exactly that, beating Federer and Nadal in a Match Tie-break.

It is perhaps the perfect contrast: Federer remembers the emotion of finally being able to say goodbye on his own terms, Ruud remembers the surreal privilege of witnessing tennis history from inside the team, and Fritz remembers that, for all the sentiment, Team World still had a job to do.

Now, as the Laver Cup returns to The O2 four years later, all three have another reason to look back on that extraordinary week, when Federer’s final match brought together the old guard, the next generation and a very determined Team World.