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Roger Federer plans to retire from tennis following Friday’s Laver Cup, and his final opponents have been announced.
Americans Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe will play doubles against storied rivals Federer and Rafael Nadal on Friday to send off one of the greatest tennis players in history. Federer made his retirement announcement on Sept. 15 and said Tuesday he would only play one doubles match on Friday in the three-day event.
Tiafoe, currently ranked No. 19 in the world, upset Nadal at the U.S. Open in the round of 16. He advanced to the semifinal before falling in five sets to eventual-champ Carlos Alcaraz. Sock fell to Diego Schwartzman in the first round.
The pair, along with Nadal, will be bidding adieu to one of the fiercest competitors in tennis history. Since turning pro in 1998, the 41-year-old has earned the third-most Grand Slam titles (20) among men’s players in tennis history, only behind Novak Djokovic (21) and the Spaniard (22). He has won 103 singles titles, including eight Wimbledon wins, and also has one gold medal from the 2008 Olympics and one silver from the ’12 Games.
In recent years, the Swiss has struggled with injuries and underwent multiple knee surgeries. He last won a Grand Slam at the Australian Open in 2018 and did not appear in a single Grand Slam tournament in ’22.
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In his retirement announcement, Federer noted it is his time to say goodbye to the sport he’s known all his life.
“I have played more than 1,500 matches over 24 years,” he said in a video posted to Twitter. “Tennis has treated me more generously than I ever would have dreamt, and now I must recognize when it is time to end my competitive career.”
The Laver Cup in London begins Friday. The doubles match time is still being determined.
