Among the players Rafael Nadal was the most emotional, especially since he played alongside his great rival and friend in his final career match. But the moment also seemingly got to Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.
In a video that has now surfaced on social media, Mirka can be seen hugging while also taking time to console Nadal.
Federer was in tears soon after the completion of his doubles match with Nadal, and he remained emotional throughout the farewell ceremony.
During his on-court speech the Swiss got the most teary-eyed when talking about Mirka, thanking her for her support throughout his career. Federer acknowledged that his wife could have asked him to stop playing many years ago, but she kept supporting his desire to prolong his career.
Mirka herself was a professional tennis player earlier, and she even teamed up with Roger Federer during the 2002 Hopman Cup. However, a recurring injury cut short her tennis career later in 2002.
“She really didn’t enjoy watching me anymore” - Roger Federer on his wife Mirka
Roger Federer also said that his injury-plagued last few seasons on the tour were harder for his wife Mirka than they were for him. The 41-year-old felt sorry for her during those moments, and admitted that Mirka was relieved that he decided to call it quits as he was struggling a lot with the knee injury.
The 20-time Grand Slam singles champion will not return to the tour, but he stated that he would play some exhibition matches from time to time. While he will also not play a match in any future edition of the Laver Cup, he confirmed his participation in the tournament next year and beyond in ‘a different capacity.’
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