Roger Federer exclusive - 'I loved every moment' - Tennis legend reflects on career and what he misses after Laver Cup
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Updated 25/09/2023 at 21:47 GMT
In a Eurosport exclusive, Roger Federer opens up about his retirement and the Laver Cup, expressing his mixed emotions when reflecting on his tennis career. The 20-time Grand Slam champion provides insights into the Laver Cup's mission to unite tennis generations and reminisces about the event's best moments, including his retirement last year in London, alongside his long-time rivals.
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Roger Federer has admitted that he misses "seeing the happy faces of people hopefully I was able to entertain" as he also reflected on his retirement party at last year's Laver Cup in a conversation with Eurosport's Barbara Schett.
The 20-time Grand Slam winner opted to retire at last year's event in London with his long-time rivals on the tour also in attendance for the very emotional occasion.
"In London, after everything was said and done, we had a wonderful time all together, both teams, actually," Federer exclusively told Eurosport at the Laver Cup in Vancouver.
"In the corner were [Bjorn] Borg and [John] McEnroe and their wives and friends, all hanging out, having the best time.
"It was so amazing to see - and all the players as well. Their whole teams and entourages, letting their hair down and just relaxing. It was great."
Federer's retirement last year saw the end of a professional career that spanned over two decades. In that time, he won six Australian Open crowns, one French Open, eight Wimbledon titles, and five US Open triumphs. He also won gold at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing with fellow Swiss Stan Wawrinka in the men's doubles.
"Secretly, you like to be the centre of attention, but at the same time, it doesn't matter anymore. It's good the way it is right now," Federer said on what he misses from his career.
"Of course, I miss seeing the happy faces of people hopefully I was able to entertain. The tour was good to me. I loved it, every moment, but I am happy retired now."
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The 42-year-old also shared that he helped form the Laver Cup in 2017 as a way to bring players on the tour together, from past and present.
"Going through the generations is really important for us," he said on the intent of the Laver Cup.
"To an event like this, you bring the Jim Couriers of the world, Tim Henmans of the world, Todd Woodbridges of the world, legends of the game that join in on the action. You walk across them in corridors as well, and you talk to them.
"I think it's great to bring the greatest of the game at every level of the generations together.
"Especially when you're on the team as a young player, that was my wish, that you can learn so, so much from your rivals that you have to play against a ton, but also your captain who hopefully can give you so much. It should be a catalyst for when you go back on the tour."
During his playing days, Federer made sure to learn as much as possible during what he saw was "one of the best weeks" on the tour.
"Maybe an annoying side of mine, I always asked questions. I used to always need to know from my coaches, 'Why are we doing this? What's the plan?' I would not hold back.
"Looking back in time, our weekends here at the Laver Cup, all around the world, the fun moments we had, the intense moments we had. For me, it was always one of the best weeks of the year. No doubt about that."
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The 2023 Laver Cup was exclusively live across Europe on Eurosport and discovery+
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