In his final encounter, Roger Federer will compete against Rafael Nadal in the Laver Cup doubles on Friday. At London’s O2 Arena, the duo will compete for Team Europe against Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe of Team World. At 19:00 BST, Andy Murray will play Alex de Minaur in the opening singles match in the evening session. The 20-time Grand Slam champion Federer announced last week that he would call it quits during the team tournament, which gets underway on Friday.
The 41-year-old Swiss said it would be “wonderful” to play alongside Spaniard Nadal, 36, who has 22 major titles.
“I’m not sure if I can handle it all but I’ll try. This one feels a whole lot different. I’m happy to have him on my team and not playing against him.”
SAID FEDERER
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Nadal excited to alliance with his greatest rival
Nadal said he was looking forward to an “unforgettable” match with his rival against the American duo.
“One of the most important, if not the most important players in my tennis career is leaving. At the end, this moment will be difficult. I’m super-excited and grateful to play with him.”
RAFAEL NADAL SAID
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Matteo Berrettini will take place of Federer in the Laver Cup
Due to his ongoing knee issue, Federer is unable to compete in singles matches. Hubert Hurkacz defeated him in the Wimbledon quarterfinals of last year. Which also was his last competitive match. In the three-day Laver Cup, where Italian Matteo Berrettini will replace Federer over the weekend, Europe will compete against a world team. Casper Ruud of Norway will play Sock, and Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece will play Diego Schwartzman of Argentina in singles matchups on Friday.
Novak Djokovic, a 21-time Grand Slam champion, is a member of Team Europe under Bjorn Bjorg’s leadership. Team World, which also features Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime and Americans Taylor Fritz, is coached by John McEnroe. Federer created the Rod Laver Cup, which features 10 singles matches and two doubles matches in total. Europe has won all four previous iterations of the competition.
