Casper Rudd has revealed that Roger Federer spoke privately to his Laver Cup teammates after he retired from tennis after a 24-year career. The Norwegian was the third member of Team Europe to be selected based on ATP rankings.
Rudd was able to justify his selection with a 6-4, 5-7, 10-7 victory over Jack Sock on the opening match of the competition, before strapping in to watch Federer take to the court for potentially the final match of his career. The Swiss star was unable to mark the moment with a victory though, teaming up with Rafael Nadal but losing out to Sock and Frances Tiafoe.
The defeat didn’t dampen the mood at the O2 Arena though, and Nadal and Federer both broke down as reality hit home that the curtain had come down on the latter’s career. The 20-time Grand Slam winner had the majority reaching for a tissue with a tear-jerking final farewell speech, though it wasn’t his last of the evening.
Asked about what happened on Friday night, Rudd revealed to tennis.com: “We were still quite emotional and sort of was tough to know what to say. Roger got up and held a little speech for us, which was very nice.
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Federer has since revealed that his fans may be able to see him on the court for one final time, hinting that he would like to play some exhibition matches to mark his retirement. Though even if that plan does not come to light, the 103-time title winner has admitted that he won’t be leaving the world of tennis entirely – but it is unknown in what capacity he will remain on our screens.
The news of Federer’s retirement has sparked conversations about when the rest of the ‘Big Four’ may decide to follow suit and begin the conclusion of a golden time for tennis. And Rudd has said he would like to be present for the retirements of Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, saying: “I just feel very grateful. When the time comes that the other three—Rafa, Novak and Andy—also say goodbye, I hope I can be there because this was very giving.”
