Frances Tiafoe clinched the Laver Cup title for Team World on Sunday, saving four match points to edge Team Europe’s Stefanos Tsitsipas 1-6, 7-6(11), 10-8 and give his side a 13-8 victory.

John McEnroe’s side entered the final day of the three-day event in London trailing four-time champions Team Europe 4-8. However, with each win worth three points on Sunday, Team World turned the tables in style to win the Laver Cup for the first time.

“I don’t want to talk too much because I want the party to begin very soon. But I want to thank my players,” McEnroe said during the trophy ceremony. “They brought the energy, belief and intensity. I want to especially thank my brother Patrick, my righthand mind.”

In front of an electric crowd at The O2, Tiafoe saved four match points in the second-set tie-break as he produced moments of magic at the crucial times to triumph after one hour and 48 minutes.

The American’s victory sparked scenes of celebration on the bench, with his teammates running onto court to embrace the World No. 19, who collapsed to the floor in delight.

“It is an unbelievable feeling,” Tiafoe said in his on-court interview. “Our captain Jonny Mac was tired of losing…saying we needed to get it done this year on his fifth try. All week leading up I kept saying this was our year. The guys showed up. Felix beat Novak, Jack and Felix also played unbelievable doubles. We all did it together, it wasn’t just me. I showed a lot of heart to get this done. This is big. We are going to celebrate big tonight.”

Earlier, Felix Auger-Aliassime moved Team World to within one win with of capturing the trophy, when he upset Team Europe’s Novak Djokovic 6-3, 7-6(3).

The Canadian hit his spots on serve throughout the one-hour, 35-minute clash, while he opened his shoulders outmanouvre the former World No. 1 and earn his first victory against Djokovic.

“I’ve been close a few times and in recent times to win against these great champions, so it feels great to get the win,” Auger-Aliassime said in his on-court interview. “Especially in front of the fans in this arena and for Team World.”

In the first match of the day, Auger-Aliassime and Sock edged Matteo Berrettini and Andy Murray 2-6, 6-3, 10-8.

In an entertaining battle at the O2 in London, the Canadian and American held their nerve when it mattered, finding first serves and deep returns in the Match Tie-break to secure their victory after one hour and 37 minutes.

Sock has now won four points for his side, having teamed with Tiafoe to defeat Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the Swiss star’s final tour-level match on Friday night.

Lorenzo Sonego’s perfect week at the Moselle Open is complete.

The Italian downed seventh seed Alexander Bublik 7-6(3), 6-2 in the championship match in Metz on Sunday to claim his first ATP Tour title of 2022. The 27-year-old’s 87-minute victory ensured he will depart France not having dropped a set at the ATP 250 indoor hard-court event.

“I improved my tennis every day, and I’m really happy for this match and this tournament,” said Sonego after the match. “I like the atmosphere here, it was unbelievable today and yesterday and this week. It’s really tough to play against Alexander, because he is an unbelievable player with an amazing serve, good talent, and it is always tough to play him.”

Appearing in his fifth tour-level final, Sonego crucially recovered 0/40 to hold in the fifth game of the match before edging Bublik in a hard-fought opening set by raising his level in the tie-break. The Italian then kept his composure as Bublik produced an array of trick shots in the second set to seal the win and extend his ATP Head2Head series lead against the Kazakh to 4-0.

“This is an emotional moment for me, because I had a tough year,” said Sonego, who is now 23-24 for the 2022 season. “Now I’m going to enjoy this moment.”

Sunday’s final was Sonego’s first on the ATP Tour since Eastbourne in June 2021, but the Italian showed no sign of nerves as he picked up where he left off in Saturday’s semi-final triumph against second seed Hubert Hurkacz. The Italian struck the ball crisply from deep and was once again impressive on serve, winning 82 per cent (36/44) of points behind his first delivery overall.

Bublik had clinched his maiden ATP Tour trophy on French indoor hard courts in Montpellier in February, but the World No. 44 was unable to cap a dream debut week in Metz with a trophy as he struggled to effectively counter against a confident Sonego.

“Big congrats to Lorenzo. It’s always a pleasure to lose against you, as I told you at the net!” joked Bublik at the trophy presentation. “Thanks to my team, thanks to everyone for supporting me and I was happy to be back in the finals in France.”

As well as Bublik, Sonego also defeated seeded players Aslan Karatsev and Hubert Hurkacz in Metz, where he was making his third appearance. Sonego’s run in north-eastern France has propelled the Italian up 21 spots to No. 44 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

Sonego’s previous Tour titles were won on grass in Antalya in 2019 and clay in Cagliari in 2021. The 27-year-old is the fourth Italian tour-level singles champion of the year, with Matteo Berrettini, Lorenzo Musetti and Jannik Sinner also lifting trophies in 2022.

On Sunday, Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski took to court to play in the championship match at the Moselle Open for the second consecutive year.

Unlike in 2021, however, this time the pair was on the same side of the net in Metz, and it proved effective, with the tandem downing second seeds Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara 7-6(5), 6-4 to claim its maiden ATP Tour title at the indoor hard-court event.

“Really, really happy to win the first title together as a team,” said Nys after the 84-minute championship match win. “Funny story, last year I played the final against Jan and Hubert [Hurkacz], and I lost to them. This year we are back together, one year later, and we won together, so it’s a very nice story.

“First title. We made a final in Winston-Salem, and then the quarter-finals in the US Open. We were playing well. It was a very, very good week. All the matches were a very high level.”

“Very happy with the win today,” added Zielinski. “We played very good from the beginning of the tournament… So hopefully we can keep it going. It’s our second final together, first win, so 50/50 with the finals, but hopefully there are many more to come. We are very happy with how we played and hopefully we can keep the momentum for Sofia next week.”

The unseeded Nys and Zielinski had saved a match point in the Match Tie-break of their semi-final victory against home favourites Gregoire Barrere and Quentin Halys, but Sunday’s final was a much more straightforward affair. The duo produced a solid opening-set tie-break to move ahead, before notching the sole break of the second set in the ninth game to secure victory at the ATP 250 tournament.

Nys and Zielinski won 84 per cent (36/43) of points behind first serves en route to securing the win. It was Nys’ fourth tour-level doubles crown and a second for Zielinski, following his triumph alongside Hurkacz a year ago.

Home is feeling especially sweet this week for Brandon Nakashima.

The local favourite defeated Australian Christopher O’Connell 6-4, 7-6(3) on Saturday to reach the final of the San Diego Open. The 21-year-old will play fellow American Marcos Giron on Sunday, when the winner will lift his first ATP Tour trophy.

“It feels amazing. It’s the first final that I’ve made this year and no better place to do it than in my hometown San Diego,” Nakashima said. “I’m really excited about it. Obviously I’ve had a great week. I feel confident with my game right now and I’m looking forward to [the final] tomorrow.”

Nakashima showed no nerves at his home tournament with the pressure of trying to advance to his maiden tour-level final of the season. The fifth seed saved the two break points he faced to triumph after one hour and 51 minutes.

“Going into it I knew I had to serve well. That effects the rest of my game off the ground and my returns a little bit, too,” Nakashima said. “I just tried to stay focussed one point at the time, tried to make as many first serves as possible and tried to be aggressive off the first ball, so I think I did that pretty well today.”

The San Diego native is also solidifying his position in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan this week. Nakashima is in sixth place, and with a win on Sunday he will claw to within 83 points of fifth-placed Jack Draper as he tries to qualify for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals for the second consecutive year.

Nakashima will have the experience edge against Giron, who reached his first ATP Tour final in style. The American upset top seed Daniel Evans 6-3, 7-5 in one hour and 46 minutes to reach the championship match in San Diego.

“It feels great. I played twice and he’d beaten me twice, so I knew it was going to be a hell of a tough match, but I’m really happy with the way I played under pressure. That’s kind of why I’m here,” Giron said. “I got to this point because yesterday I saved multiple break points, I was down set points and the day before there were times I could have easily gone down, but I’ve been playing well under pressure and I keep doing that.” 

Giron, who underwent right hip surgery in 2015 and left hip surgery in 2016, is now one victory from tour-level glory. The 29-year-old saved all three break points he faced against Evans to earn the opportunity.

In a battle between two players who enjoy long points at the back of the court, Giron was the more aggressive competitor. He also hit 11 aces and won 80 per cent of his first-serve points, while showing a willingness to finish rallies at the net.

Did You Know?
If Giron wins the title Sunday, he will climb to a career-high No. 44 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday. He is up to No. 51 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

It was an unforgettable scene in the early minutes of Saturday morning in London at the Laver Cup. Team Europe and Team World stood on court inside The O2 with mournful eyes, some players’ flowing with tears. Roger Federer had just played the final ATP Tour match of his career.

But soon those sad looks turned to smiles, as all the stars lifted Federer on their shoulders, celebrating the 41-year-old. Only four players were on court for the match — Federer, Rafael Nadal, Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe — but everyone inside the arena felt part of it.

Matteo Berrettini struggled to sleep, but he had the duty of playing in Saturday’s first match for Team Europe.

“One of the reasons why I couldn’t sleep is, like, Roger was crying on my shoulder. Like what did I do to deserve this, you know?” Berrettini wondered. “I kept reminding myself that I had to be focussed in the match, otherwise my feelings, emotions, would be too much to handle.”

The Italian is one of the best players in the world, having qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals twice. Part of the reason he has climbed to his level is the motivation of growing up watching Federer.

“Just really happy to be here and honoured to represent Team Europe instead of him in singles. Having the chances to live what we lived yesterday is something that’s going to be stuck in my heart and my brain forever,” Berrettini said. “I’m not lying when I say that I’m here because of him. Like he was really the one that I was looking up to. He was the one that I was supporting, cheering for him.

“I was getting upset, I remember crying after he lost the finals in 2009 in Australia because he was crying. So for me, living these moments is something really that means everything. So it was tough, tough to sleep.”

More On Federer’s Retirement
Immersive Tribute: The Grit & Grace Of Federer
The Big Three With Me: Federer’s Rivalries With Nadal & Djokovic
Roger’s Grand Slam Greatness
The Immeasurable Impact Of Federer’s Charity Work

It was not any easier Friday evening for the men Federer and Nadal faced in doubles. Both Sock and Tiafoe have praised Federer plenty throughout the week, and they had to stand across the net from him in his final match. The Team World duo triumphed in a Match Tie-break.

“It’s tough, I think. While playing, it felt like a match,” Sock said. “[The magnitude] settled in while we were all bawling our eyes out there afterwards, but during the match, felt like a competitive match.

“I’ve got the opportunity to play him a few times in Laver Cup, and that team before, so brought back some memories of that, which was exciting. Foe and I played him together for the first time, trying to bring crazy energy. Obviously had 99.9 per cent of the crowd against us. But it was super fun to just be a part of that match. I think we are going to be forever grateful to be a part of the GOAT’s final match.

“But I don’t think it settled in until after. When I hit that last shot, and realised it was over, it was, like, kind of went numb.”

Tiafoe quickly added: “Empty feeling.”

Federer certainly felt the emotions of those around him.

“I guess looking around and seeing how everybody got emotional, obviously it’s even better, or even worse, I’m not sure what to say,” Federer said. “That’s what I will remember, is the faces I saw emotional.”

It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words. The image of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal sitting together in tears on their Team Europe bench in the early moments of Saturday morning was worth a million.

For years, Federer and Nadal have contested one of the most captivating rivalries in all of sports. But with their competition has come a great mutual respect and with that, friendship. That showed before, during and after their doubles match on the first day of the Laver Cup.

Nadal explained after the match, the last of Federer’s career, why the moment meant so much to him.

“At the end everything became super emotional. For me, [it has] been [a] huge honour to be a part of this amazing moment of the history of our sport, and at the same time a lot of years sharing a lot of things together,” Nadal said. “When Roger leaves the Tour, an important part of my life is leaving too because [of] all the moments that he [has] been next [to] or in front me in important moments of my life.

“[It] has been emotional see the family, see all the people. Difficult to describe. But, yeah, [it was an] amazing moment.”

It was fitting after playing each other 40 times, with many of those battles on the world’s biggest stages, that Federer’s career came to an end by Nadal’s side. It felt right that that Nadal called a “super long and positive journey” came to a conclusion that way.

“When I started to be [a] better player, then Roger was always there in front of me. For me [he] was always the guy to beat. So at some point we were probably the biggest rivals – I think always in a very good way. We respect a lot each other, [our] families, [our] teams. I mean, we never had big issues,” Nadal said. “But it’s true that the personal relationship… when we were getting older, I think every year the personal relationship gets better and better [on] a daily basis. I think in some way we understand at the end we have a lot of things similar. We approach life probably similarly.”

More On Roger’s Retirement
Immersive Tribute: The Grit & Grace Of Federer
The Big Three With Me: Federer’s Rivalries With Nadal & Djokovic
Roger’s Grand Slam Greatness
The Immeasurable Impact Of Federer’s Charity Work

Nadal pointed out that part of what made their rivalry so enthralling was how different their games were. Off the court, that is not the case.

“In the family life, personal life, probably we approach life not in a very different way. So that’s why we can trust each other, we can speak very often, and we’re able to speak feeling very free, feeling confident,” Nadal said. “Having somebody like Roger that I feel confident to talk about any personal thing, it’s something that it’s very beautiful after all the things that we shared together and all the important things that we fought for such a long time.

“[I am] very proud to be part of his career in some way. But even for me happier to finish our career like friends after everything we shared on court like rivals.”

This was Federer’s special retirement moment. But for Nadal, it was an experience he will never forget. Nobody will.

“Since I arrived here yesterday, everything was special,” Nadal said. “Tonight was unforgettable.”