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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Fraser Watson

Andy Murray has final Roger Federer wish after tennis legend announced retirement

Andy Murray is hoping to share a court with Roger Federer one final time before the Swiss legend retires from tennis.

However, the Scot isn't talking about going head-to-head with the 20-time Grand Slam champion, but more so doubling up with him with the pair set to represent Europe at the Laver Cup. Bjorn Borg's side will take on 'Team World' at the O2 Arena from September 23-25, in a bid to win the trophy for the fifth consecutive time.

This week, Federer announced the tournament would represent his last before he walks away from the sport. The 41-year-old, who has been out of action for over a year after undergoing a third bout of knee surgery, admitted: "I know my body's capacities and limits, and its message to me lately has been clear."

Murray and Federer will be joined by Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas in London, with demand for tickets having ramped up in the past 48 hours. The extent of Federer's involvement remains to be seen, but Murray has made his own wishes clear.

"I don't know how much he will be able to play," Murray said, via The Daily Mail. "I haven't spoken to him about that. Maybe I get the opportunity to share a court with him in doubles or something like that. That would be really special."

The two former world No 1's have played each other 25 times since their first meeting way back in 2005, and Murray said his retirement will represent a "sad, sad day" for the sport. "Obviously he was an amazing player," he added.

"I was lucky to get to compete against him in some of the biggest matches, in the biggest tournaments, on the biggest stages in our sport. At the time I probably didn't appreciate it as much but now, looking back, it's pretty amazing."

Team World will be captained by John McEnroe, and the Laver Cup is a swift opportunity for Murray to bounce back from Great Britain's Davis Cup exit in Glasgow this week. Leon Smith's side suffered defeats by the USA on Wednesday and the Netherlands on Friday.

Both ties came down to a deciding doubles rubber, and on both occasions Murray and Joe Salisbury were the pair beaten. The 35-year-old is now likely to be rested for Sunday's dead rubber tie with Kazakhstan.

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