Novak Djokovic: Federer’s Last Night At The Laver Cup Will Remain One Of The Most Beautiful
Novak Djokovic: Federer’s Last Night At The Laver Cup Will Remain One Of The Most Beautiful. Novak Djokovic looked back at Roger Federer’s final night as a professional tennis player, and the first match that he played in his new role as captain of the Laver Cup. Djokovic explained that just acknowledging being able to beat one of the greatest-ever players definitely moved him quite a bit.
On the day following one of the most emotional nights in recent memory, Roger Federer’s last professional tennis match and all of the celebrations and speeches that followed, Novak Djokovic took the court for his first match since Wimbledon, defeating Frances Tiafoe, 6-1, 6-3.
After winning his seventh Wimbledon title, Djokovic did an interview with the media.
Djokovic agreed, saying “everyone alive would have to agree that this was the greatest moment in tennis history.” Djokovic said that while they all knew this would be an emotional finale, they were all surprised by the way it unfolded.
On the one hand, it’s a sad feeling because the greatest athlete in history is retiring, but on the other hand, seeing him happy and satisfied with how life has gone and all of it—and I was just grateful and privileged to be playing alongside some Team World and Team Europe players to see what happened.
Novak Djokovic, a father of two and the Grand Slam winner said that the moment he lost to Thiem was one of the most beautiful moments of his life. He went on to talk about one aspect of the match—which is when it hit him most.
I can say that the moment I saw his children crying was the most emotional part of my career, and then seeing Roger’s family or friends here in London brought me to tears as well. Roger has always been so important to me, and it’s really nice to see him again–especially with his parents and his sister in the audience!
I understand Roger’s struggle because I understand the difficulties of being a professional athlete. It’s an individual sport so people tend to think that it’s only up to the player, which is only partly true because the best athletes are able to make their success possible through support from their loved ones. Roger says it beautifully in his article that his wife Mirka and closest friends give him the support he needs during his career.
Djokovic stated that he had a lot to say and wanted to apologize for his absence, claiming that he hadn’t seen the tennis scene in years. Djokovic also mentioned how beautiful and unique the match was.
With Djokovic returning to the court soon afterwards, he teamed up with Matteo Berrettini of Italy and won a doubles match against Team World’s Alex de Minaur and Jack Sock.
These aren’t the first Laver Cup tournaments that Federer and Djokovic have been teammates of; they were also on Team Europe in 2018, when the event was held in Chicago. They even played a doubles match that year, falling to Sock and Kevin Anderson in a tie-break match 6-7 (5), 6-3, 10-6.