With the world watching, the curtain came down on Roger Federer’s historic career on Friday night at the Laver Cup. In front of an electric crowd, the Swiss maestro teamed with longtime rival and friend Rafael Nadal to strike his final shots at The O2 in London.

The former World No. 1 looked sharp around the net and fired his seemingly effortless groundstrokes through the court throughout the two-hour, 16-minute clash. However, he was ultimately unable to earn the 1,382nd win of his career in singles and doubles, falling to Team World pair Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe.

The Americans rallied from a set down to defeat their legendary opponents 4-6, 7-6(2), 11-9, levelling the Laver Cup at 2-2 after the first day.

“We’ll get through this somehow, will we? Right?,” Federer said with a cracked voice during his on-court interview. “I’m happy, I’m not sad. It feels great to be here and I enjoyed tying my shoes one more time. Everything was the last time. The match was great, I couldn’t be happier. It’s been wonderful.”

_{^{Photo Credit: Getty Images}}
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Federer was overcome with emotion in the immediate aftermath of the match, hugging teammate Nadal and waving to the crowd as he embraced the roar from his fans for the final time.

The Swiss star then walked to his chair for the last time, where he stood alongside his teammates and hailed the capacity crowd. Federer was unable to contain his emotion when addressing the arena during his on-court interview, breaking down in tears as he shared final words of thanks and gratitude to his family, team and supporters.

“Playing with Rafa on the same team, and having the guys, everybody here, all the legends – Rocket, Edberg, Stefan — thank you,” said Federer, who was joined on court by his his parents, wife Mirka and their four children. “I didn’t want it to feel lonely out there. It felt lonely for a second when they told me to go out… but to be saying goodbye on a team, I always felt I was a team player at heart. Singles doesn’t really do that but I’ve had a team that travelled with me around the world. It’s been amazing with them, so thanks to everybody who made it work for so many years.

“And then of course being on the team with Andy, Thomas, Novak, Matteo, Cam, Stefanos, Rafa and Casper… and also the other team, you guys are unbelievable. It’s been a pleasure playing all these Laver Cups.

“It does feel like a celebration to me. I wanted to feel like this at the end, and it’s exactly what I hoped for, so thank you.”

The former World No. 1 leaves the sport as a legend. He won 103 tour-level titles and spent 310 weeks at No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Federer first faced Nadal in 2004 at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Miami. They battled it out a further 39 times over the years, competing against each other in 24 finals.

Having built a special relationship, it was fitting for Federer to end his career alongside the Spaniard, with ‘Big Four’ stars Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray cheering them on from the sidelines. His parents, wife Mirka and children were also watching courtside.

“We have to go there?” he joked when asked about his family. “I’ve done OK so far. I’m at least able to talk. In my vision, I was never able to talk so I’m doing way better.

“My wife’s been so supportive. She could have stopped me a long, long time ago, but she didn’t. She kept me going and allowed me to play. It’s amazing. Thank you.”

In an entertaining match, Federer and Nadal were in high spirits throughout, smiling and entertaining the crowd with their dynamic shotmaking. During the third game of the first set, the Swiss star fired a forehand through a gap in the net. Despite Team World being awarded the point, the Swiss-Spanish tandem shared a smile as they walked back to the baseline.

With the crowd roaring them on, Federer and Nadal played with freedom, matching the Americans’ intensity in a series of all-court exchanges to win the first set. After Sock and Tiafoe won the second set, a Match Tie-break was left to decide Federer’s final clash. With the crowd on their feet, it was the Americans who found a way, saving one match point at 8/9 to edge a thrilling tie-break.

Roger Federer retired at the Laver Cup, where he competed for the final time in his legendary career in a doubles match with friend and rival Rafael Nadal.

The Swiss’ career will not soon be forgotten, having held World No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for 310 weeks, won 103 tour-level titles, lifted 20 Grand Slam trophies and plenty more.

ATPTour.com paid tribute to Federer in a series of stories examining his efforts on and off the court.

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

Quiz: How Well Do You Know Federer’s Career

Sampras Pays Tribute To Federer

Tough To Topple: Roger’s Most Untouchable Records

Roger The Fashion Trailblazer

Reliving Federer’s Seven Best Seasons

10-Pack Of Federer Fun Times: Helipads, Pizza Parties & More

Roger’s Riveting Rivalries Outside The Big Three

Federer’s 10 Most Memorable Matches

Even Roger Started On The ATP Challenger Tour

Read Roger’s Retirement Letter

Top seed Daniel Evans advanced to his third semi-final of 2022 with a battling victory on Friday at the San Diego Open.

The Briton’s 6-1, 6-3 win against France’s Constant Lestienne was far more complicated than the scoreline suggests, with Evans saving 10 of 11 break points in the one-hour, 40-minute contest.

He erased four break points in the opening set and then saved six of seven in set two, including three in a titanic final service game that lasted 14 points — by far the longest of the match. Evans was slightly more effective on second serve than behind his first delivery in the match, winning 63 per cent (17/27) of second-serve points and 62 per cent (21/34) on his first offering.

Striking 23 winners in the victory, Evans improved to 3-1 in tour-level quarter-finals this season and 3-0 against French opposition.

He will next face third seed Marcos Giron, a 7-6(5), 6-3 winner against seventh-seeded Aussie James Duckworth. The California native, who has spent time living in San Diego in recent years, saved all three break points against him to reach the semis. Both Evans and Giron have won all four sets they’ve played this week.

Friday’s evening session opened with an upset, as Aussie Christopher O’Connell defeated second seed Jenson Brooksby. With a 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 victory, the World No. 130 knocked out an American seed for the second time in as many days; he beat eighth seed J.J. Wolf in straight sets to reach the quarter-finals.

Now through to his first ATP Tour semi-final, the 28-year-old O’Connell will next face fifth seed Brandon Nakashima, who overcame Daniel Elahi Galan 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. Despite dropping his first set of the week against Colombian Galan, San Diego native Nakashima converted all four break points chances he had en route to a one-hour, 55-minute quarter-final victory.

Some records are short-lived, some stand the test of time.

Roger Federer has repeatedly taken tennis to new heights during his 25-year career on the ATP Tour. As he prepares for the final tour-level event of his career at this weekend’s Laver Cup, ATPTour.com looks at some of the achievements that appear most likely to keep Federer’s name in the record books for some time to come.

237 Consecutive Weeks At No. 1
Federer’s total of 310 weeks spent at the top of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings may have been passed by Novak Djokovic in March 2021, but the Swiss’ record of 237 consecutive weeks in top spot is one that even the Serbian maestro has not yet been able to top.

The longest No. 1 reign in Pepperstone ATP Rankings history began on 2 February 2004, when Federer dethroned Andy Roddick from top spot with his triumph at the Australian Open. He then embarked on an unprecedented period of dominance on the ATP Tour, remaining at No. 1 until 17 August 2008, when he was usurped by Rafael Nadal.

Federer’s 2003-2005 stint at the top of the game is not his only No. 1-related record. The Swiss remains the oldest World No. 1 in Pepperstone ATP Rankings history after reclaiming the position aged 36 in 2018.

Won 24 Consecutive Tour-Level Finals
Reaching a final is usually a sign that things are going well on court, but something extra is required to keep cool and maintain your level in the pressure cooker environment of a championship match. Whatever that ‘something’ is, Federer had plenty of it between 2003 and 2005, when he won an incredible 24 consecutive tour-level singles finals in which he appeared.

A triumph against Carlos Moya in Vienna in October 2003 proved the starting point for Federer’s historic run, which only came to an end in the most dramatic of circumstances at the 2005 Nitto ATP Finals (then known as the Tennis Masters Cup) in Shanghai. Despite playing with an ankle issue, Federer carved out a two-sets-to-love lead in the championship match before David Nalbandian produced a stunning comeback to take the title at the season finale.

^{_{Federer defeats Carlos Moya in Vienna in 2003. Photo Credit: JOE KLAMAR/AFP via Getty Images}}

Reached 23 Consecutive Grand Slam Semi-Finals
Even the best in the world have their off days, but those were few and far between for Federer at the Grand Slams between 2004 and 2010, when the Swiss produced an extraordinary display of consistency on the big stage to yet again etch his name in the record books.

Federer reached at least the semi-finals for 23 consecutive majors from Wimbledon 2004 to the Australian Open in 2010. He fell to Robin Soderling at the quarter-final stage at Roland Garros that year as his streak came to an end, but another one continued — his 36 consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final runs between Wimbledon 2004 and Roland Garros 2013 is also an ATP record.

Won Two Different Slams, Five Consecutive Times
Federer was a consistent title threat at all four majors, but he enjoyed unprecedented periods of dominance at two in particular. He won five straight Wimbledon titles from 2003 to 2007, and replicated that streak at the US Open between 2004 and 2008. Federer’s victory against Andy Murray in the 2008 final in New York made him the first ATP player to win two different Grand Slams in five consecutive years. And he nearly made it six in a row! At the end of his five-year streaks, he lost a five-set Wimbledon final to Rafael Nadal and a five-set US Open final to Juan Martin del Potro.

It was a feat that not even Bjorn Borg, Federer’s captain on Team Europe at this weekend’s Laver Cup, had achieved. The legendary Swede came close, however, winning five consecutive Wimbledon titles (1976-1980) and four consecutive Roland Garros crowns (1978-1981).

65 Straight Wins On Grass
Federer’s elegance as he glided around a grass court was one of the traits that made the Swiss so popular with tennis fans the world over. As well as his record eight Wimbledon trophies, Federer was a 10-time champion on the surface in Halle and also triumphed on the lawns of Stuttgart in 2018.

Federer exerted his grass-court dominance early in his storied career. From 2003 to 2008, the Swiss went unbeaten on the surface for 65 consecutive matches, starting with his opening win at the 2003 event in Halle. As with so many of Federer’s records, it took an almighty effort from an opponent to snap his winning streak, but Rafael Nadal was the man to do it with his epic five-set triumph against the Swiss in a match widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time — the 2008 Wimbledon final.

_{^{Federer in action in Halle in 2006. Photo Credit: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images}}

Won At Least One Set In 194 Consecutive Matches
Even if he did not ultimately get the result he wanted, Federer rarely went down without a fight.

From June 2004 through August 2006, the Swiss won at least one set in 194 consecutive matches. Not that there was much losing involved in that run, however. Federer went 184-10 overall during that streak, claiming 25 titles from 35 events played that included triumphs at the Australian Open (2006), Wimbledon (2004, 2005) and the US Open (2004, 2005).

1526 Matches, No Retirements
A knee issue may have eventually forced Federer to call time on his career, but the Swiss’ body nonetheless served him well across 25 years on the ATP Tour.

With this weekend’s Laver Cup in London set to be his final tour-level event, Federer has so far played 1,526 singles and 223 doubles matches on Tour without retiring once. The statistic reflects Federer’s reputation as one of the most hard-working and rigorous professionals on the circuit, attributes which worked in tandem with his special talent to produce one of the most consistent and committed performers in ATP history.

In 2001, Roger Federer won the only ATP Tour meeting with Pete Sampras, needing five sets to defeat the American in the fourth round of Wimbledon. When Federer claimed the title at the All England Club in 2009, Sampras was in attendance to watch the Swiss surpass his then-record 14 Grand Slam titles.

Now, as Federer bids farewell to his illustrious career at the Laver Cup Friday, Sampras shared a video tribute, weighing in on what the 20-time major champion has meant to him, on- and off-court.

“Not really sure where to begin,” Sampras said. “I’ll just start from the very beginning, when I first played you. You were 19-years-old, an up and coming player, people were talking about you and we had a great battle on the Centre Court of Wimbledon and you took me down, tough five-setter. I just remember walking off the court feeling like I met my match, truly a special player. Little did I know 20 years later that you would have 20 majors, be No. 1 for years, dominate our sport, basically do it all.

Roger Federer (left) and Pete Sampras embrace at the net following their match at Wimbledon in 2001. Credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

“I know through those 20 years that you sacrificed, dedicated yourself, you got your body right. I don’t think people saw that side of you because you made the game look so easy. But I know that you’re the ultimate professional when it comes to preparing, pretty extraordinary what you’ve done.

“I’ve admired the way you’ve handled it all, from the very beginning to the very end. You’re always gracious in your defeats, gracious in your wins. I’ve sat back and watched 20 years of brilliance, heartache, triumph, and throughout the whole span of your career, you’ve never really changed. You’re true to yourself and where you came from. You should look back on your career and feel really proud of what you’ve been able to accomplish.

“On a personal note, I’ll never forget the week in Asia we had, messing around, playing some exhibitions, that’s when I got to know you pretty well. We’ve developed a pretty good friendship since then, just staying in touch and checking in each other’s families. We’re all going to be sad to see you go but I know this is part of sports.

“I just want to shout out to you and tell you that you’re going to be missed in our game, but you left the game in good hands. I just want to wish you a great retirement, I hope I get to see you at some point down the road and catch up.”

From one legend of the game to another 🤝 @rogerfederer | #RForever pic.twitter.com/j36ugRxF2x

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 22, 2022