The tribute reserved for Roger Federer in his farewell to tennis at the Laver Cup is one that makes your skin crawl. The Basel champion received a particularly moving tribute on the fantastic stage of London’s O2 Arena, surrounded by the love of his family and his teammates present at the competition. On the Team Europe list were all his biggest rivals, including Andy Murray, who with Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic is part of the famous “Fab Four” The Briton, however, showed everyone great humility when asked if he would like to have a farewell like the one Roger Federer dedicated to him: “I won’t and I don’t deserve to have a farewell like that. Roger deserved that night, and it was very special to have all those guys watching from the sidelines, and having them there made it really special. I’m not having a farewell party. I will probably announce when I will play my last event and such, but when it will be, I don’t know.” The first of the “Fab Four” has finally put an end to his career as a professional player and at this point, there is a question that seems to arise among fans: who will be next? Andy Murray is past his prime and, although he is becoming more competitive than when he re-entered the tour after a long absence, it seems almost an impossible mission to be among the contenders for the final victory at the Slams again. At 35 years old and currently ranked No. 44 in the world, the Brit prefers not to waste time thinking about a possible retirement and looks at the short term, taking one step at a time. “I’m not thinking about that right now.”
Gambill on Federer’s retirement
Former American tennis player Jan-Michael Gambill calledĀ Roger FedererĀ a ‘class act’ for not overshadowing the retirement ofĀ Serena Williams. “It seemed a little abrupt. Roger is such a class act as it almost seemed like he gave Serena some space for his retirement. He didn’t do it close to her, gave that little bit room to breath. We lose Serena now, we lose Roger,” said the American. The 45-year-old also said that he preferred the way Ashleigh Barty and Pete Sampras retired as they departed the sport after winning Grand Slams, unlike Federer and Williams. “This was Roger’s moment. As far as retirements go, I still think Pete and Ash Barty did it the best; win a slam and ‘Hey, I’m outta here’. But this was emotional for a lot of people and for all the fans of Roger, for there are so many, myself included, it was wonderful” he added.