Maybe I Can Play Doubles with Rafa: Roger Federer to Not Play Singles at Laver Cup?

Roger Federer on Tuesday indicated that he may not play singles at the 2022 Laver Cup, which will be the Tennis legend’s last tournament before retirement.

“Maybe I can play doubles with Rafa, that would be an absolute dream," Federer told Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF).

Federer last played a match at Wimbledon in 2021, when he lost in the quarterfinals to Hubert Hurkacz. Shortly after that, Federer had surgery on his right knee for the third time in a span of about 1 1/2 years.

The Swiss star had hoped to play at Basel in his home country next month and had suggested he might be able to enter Wimbledon one last time next year. But recovery and rehabilitation of his knee became too much.

He called his retirement a “bittersweet decision" when he announced it last week via social media. Federer’s last bow will see him team up with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

On arriving in London for the tournament, Federer told broadcaster RTS that he was “relieved" to have made the announcement, and “very happy to have been able to have the career I have had."

“It can’t be that I’m trying to run after something that is hardly realistic anymore," Federer told SRF.

Federer added that in recent months “my progress was not satisfactory, that my knee was not letting me go."

“Then I received a scan that was not great, and there was no more progress," he said. “I told myself that it was over. Honestly, I didn’t want to do it anymore."

Federer said that he held back “a tear or two when he announced his coming retirement last week, but felt he was “happy to have taken the step."

When asked about his plans, he said “I do not know exactly what my future will be, but I do not want to completely distance myself from the sport that has given me everything."

Back in February, when word emerged that Federer would be in London, he said Nadal messaged him last year suggesting they play doubles together again. They teamed up to win a doubles match during the first Laver Cup in 2017.

“If we’re able to possibly share the court one more time as a doubles pairing," Nadal said at the time, “then this would be a truly special experience for us both at this stage in our careers."

(With inputs from Agencies)

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