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                                                                                                       COMICS Thursday 22 sepTember 2022
            Federer's farewell to be in doubles; comeback? 'No, no, no'




            By HOWARD FENDRICH           shirt, Federer took questions  scan  back,  which  wasn't  referred to retirement as a  will be missed — everything
            AP Tennis Writer             from  various  media  outlets  what I wanted it to be," Fe-  "bittersweet decision."   he brought to tennis on the
            LONDON  (AP)  —  Roger  during  the  news  confer-        derer explained.             He was asked Wednesday  court and off."
            Federer  leaned  back  on  ence  ahead  of  the  team  "At  some  point,  you  sit  at  the  news  conference  Those        sentiments   were
            a  couch,  the  picture  of                                                                                         echoed  by  other  Laver
            relaxation  in  a  navy  blue                                                                                       Cup  players,  such  as  2021
            pullover,   black   jogger                                                                                          French  Open  runner-up
            pants  and  white  sneakers.                                                                                        Stefanos  Tsitsipas  ("My  big-
            He had just showered and                                                                                            gest  memory  of  him  is
            changed  after  a  practice                                                                                         watching him lift trophies at
            session  Wednesday  at  the                                                                                         almost  every  Grand  Slam
            arena that will be used for                                                                                         he  played  when  I  was  a
            the  final  match  of  his  ca-                                                                                     kid") or U.S. Open semifinal-
            reer,  grinning  as  he  talked                                                                                     ist  Frances  Tiafoe  ("I  don't
            about getting into the flow                                                                                         think we'll see another guy
            with a racket in hand.                                                                                              like  Roger  —  the  way  he
            "It was funny, hitting on the                                                                                       played,  and  the  grace  he
            court — nice lighting, nice                                                                                         did it with, and who he is as
            everything  —  how  your                                                                                            an individual").
            level  starts  going  up,  you                                                                                      As  for  Federer's  doubles
            know?" he said in an inter-                                                                                         partner for the last hurrah?
            view  with  The  Associated                                                                                         Federer would not say de-
            Press,  following  a  farewell                                                                                      finitively — he said that's up
            news  conference.  "Where-                                                                                          to  Borg  —  but  the  not-so-
            as  if  you  play  at  home,                                                                                        hidden secret is that it is ex-
            in  like  just  a  normal  ten-                                                                                     pected  to  be  Nadal,  who
            nis hall, things are fast, the                                                                                      holds  the  men's  record  of
            lights aren't great, advertis-                                                                                      22 major championships.
            ing  is  all  around  you,  you                                                                                     While  other  contempo-
            can  never  find  this  kind  of                                                                                    raries  of  Federer  and  stars
            rhythm."                                                                                                            of the sport are on Team Eu-
            So is it time to cancel his re-                                                                                     rope, such as 21-time Slam
            tirement?                                                                                                           champ  Novak  Djokovic
            "No," he said with a laugh.                                                                                         and  three-time  major  win-
            "No. No. No."                                                                                                       ner  Andy  Murray,  the  Fe-
            Federer is known for his el-                                                                                        derer  vs.  Nadal  matchup
            egant  style  of  play,  for  his   Switzerland's Roger Federer waves during a media conference ahead of the Laver Cup tennis   will  go  down  in  history  as
            longevity,  for  his  20  Grand   tournament at the O2 in London, Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022.                        among  the  greatest  rival-
            Slam  titles  —  and  for  oc-                                                                     Associated Press  ries  in  tennis  or  any  other
            casional  tears  in  his  most                                                                                      sport.
            emotional post-match mo-     competition founded by his  down and go, 'OK, we are  what aspect was most bit-        They  played  each  other
            ments,  whether  after  vic-  management company.         at  an  intersection  here,  at  ter  and  what  was  most  40  times  in  all  (Nadal  won
            tory or defeat.              "I'm  nervous  going  in,  be-  a crossroad, and you have  sweet.                      26),  with  14  Grand  Slam
            There was none of that sort  cause  I  haven't  played  in  to  take  a  turn.  Which  way  "The bitterness: You always  matchups (Nadal won 10).
            of sadness Wednesday, just  so  long,"  he  said.  "I  hope  I  is it?' I was not willing to go  want  to  play  forever,"  he  Nadal came out on top in
            some  chuckles  at  his  own  can  be  somewhat  com-     into  the  direction  of:  'Let's  said.  "I  love  being  out  on  their  classic  2008  Wimble-
            jokes, as Federer discussed  petitive."                   risk  it  all.'  I'm  not  ready  for  court. I love playing against  don  final,  considered  by
            his  retirement  from  profes-  Federer,  who  announced  that. I always said that was  the guys. I love traveling. ...  some  the  greatest  match
            sional tennis at age 41 after  last week via social media  never my goal."             It was all perfect. I love my  in history; Federer won their
            a series of knee operations.  that  he  would  be  retiring  And the hardest part came  career from every angle."   last showdown, in the 2019
            He  will  close  his  playing  after the Laver Cup, said it  when he knew he needed  And  then  he  added:  "The  semifinals at the All England
            days with a doubles match  took him a bit to get used  to stop.                        sweet part was that I know  Club.
            at the Laver Cup on Friday  to  the  idea  of  stepping  "You're  sad,"  Federer  said,  everybody  has  to  do  it  at  "It  could  be  quite,  I  don't
            — perhaps alongside long-    away from competition.       "in the very moment when  one  point;  everybody  has  know, a unique situation, if
            time rival Rafael Nadal.     But it was something he un-  you  realize,  'OK,  this  is  the  to leave the game. It's been  it were to happen," Feder-
            Federer said he is at peace  derstood he needed to do  end.'"                          a great, great journey. For  er  said  about  the  doubles
            with  the  decision  to  walk  after running into setbacks  The  last  procedure  on  his  that, I'm really grateful."  pairing.
            away, which comes a few  in July during his rehabilita-   knee  came  shortly  after  a  He  will  play  doubles  for  As for his future?
            weeks after Serena Williams  tion from what was his third  quarterfinal  loss  to  Hubert  Team Europe against Team  The  father  of  two  sets  of
            played  what  is  expected  surgery on his right knee in  Hurkacz  at  Wimbledon  in  World  on  Day  1  of  the  twins  —  girls  who  are  13;
            to be her last match at the  about 1 1/2 years.           July  2021,  which  will  go  event,  and  then  give  way  boys who are 8 — wouldn't
            U.S.  Open,  and  he  wants  "You  try  to  go  to  the  next  into  the  books  as  the  last  to 2021 Wimbledon runner-  say  exactly  what  he  has
            this  farewell  to  be  a  cel-  level in training, and I could  singles match of a superla-  up  Matteo  Berrettini  for  planned,  other  than  a  va-
            ebration.                    feel  it  was  getting  difficult.  tive  career  that  began  in  singles  over  the  weekend.  cation,  but  he  did  say  he
            "I really don't want it to be  ... Then, I guess, I was also  the 1990s and included 103  That  plan  was  run  by  the  would  remain  connected
            a  funeral,"  Federer  said.  "I  getting  more  tired,  be-  tournament  titles,  a  Davis  ATP  and  both  team  cap-  to tennis in some capacity.
            want it to be really happy  cause  you  have  to  put  Cup championship for Swit-      tains,  John  McEnroe  and  Recalling  the  way  Borg
            and  powerful  and  party  more  effort  into  it  to  be  zerland,  Olympic  medals  Bjorn Borg, Federer said.     stayed away from the sport
            mode."                       able to sort of believe that  and hundreds of weeks at  "I  grew  up  watching  him,  for  years  after  retiring,  Fe-
            Wearing a blue blazer with  it was going to turn around.  No. 1 in the ATP rankings.   rooting  for  him,  trying  to  derer sought to reassure his
            the sleeves rolled up to his  You  start  getting  too  pes-  In  his  online  farewell  mes-  learn  from  him,"  Berrettini  own fans by saying: "I won't
            elbows  and  a  white  polo  simistic.  Then  I  also  got  a  sage  last  week,  Federer  said. "His charisma, his class  be a ghost."q
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