Reporter of the Economic Business: Zhu Peng Editor of the Economic Business: Duan Lian, Dong Xingsheng, Yi Qijiang
The curtain call of the legend must be grand and magnificent.
According to CCTV News, on the evening of September 23 local time, tennis player Federer completed the last game of his career at the Laval Cup tennis match held at the North Greenwich Stadium in London.
In this doubles match, Federer and Nadal European teams competed against the world teams formed by Sok and Tiafo . After two and a half hours of competition, the final score was 1:2. Federer did not bid farewell to his professional tennis career with his victory .
Image source: Visual China
On September 15, Federer announced on social media that he was about to retire, and the Laver Cup held in London will be his curtain call. Federer won a total of 20 Grand Slam titles and 6 Professional Tennis Federation Year-end Finals Championships in his career .
Image source: Visual China
It is reported that the Laver Cup, which began in 2017, was held once a year. This year is the fifth, and the game is played by two groups: the European team and the World team. The Laver Cup is named after Australian legendary tennis player Rod Laver , and Federer is one of the founders of the game .
According to Beijing Youth Daily , citing foreign media reports, the whole ticket price of the VIP of this game before the game had risen to 580,000 pounds, and was more than 4.62 million . Previously, after Federer announced his upcoming retirement, tickets to the official Laver Cup match day have been sold on official channels.
Feder completed the curtain call
Nadal burst into tears
0 In the early morning of September 24, 2022, Federer finished his last professional game in his life, and Nadal was still beside him - from an opponent to a partner. For 18 years, they have competed with each other and "hindered" each other, but in the end they have achieved each other and appreciated each other. To this day, Nadal and Federer ranked first and third in the historical rankings with 22 Grand Slams and 20 Grand Slams respectively.
After fierce competition in three sets, Federer/Nadal was reversed after winning one set first, losing 1-2 to Sok/Tiafour with a total score of 6-4, 6-7, 9-11. In this way, Federer ended his career with a loss .
At the post-match farewell ceremony, Federer said goodbye to the fans who loved him all over the audience and the world: " When I said goodbye, I didn't feel lonely, thank my team, thank everyone ".
Federer could not hide his excitement, hugged his European teammates one by one, tears burst out from his eyes. Nadal next to also cried like rain, and his eyes were red.
Fener laughs together and crys together
According to The Paper , in Nadal's view, "In some ways, we have been motivating each other to move forward. When an outstanding opponent like him stands in front of you, you can make you better." Federer also expressed his feelings to his old opponent, "You are the opponent who has the greatest impact on my tennis career and the most motivated. Because of you, I have re-adjusted and invented many styles of play to fight."
Nadal and Federer are the greatest opponents in the history of the tennis world. The two fell in love and fought each other, and jointly dedicated the tortuous, bizarre, suspense and exciting competitive drama in the world's male professional tennis world for nearly 20 years.
With Federer's retirement, "Fenera" became the best singer. Not only that, the situation where the world men's tennis world has been ruled by Federer, Nadal and Djokovic for nearly 20 years has officially come to an end.
Back to London
Say goodbye to complete a career in London, Federer thought it was a very special decision.
The O2 Stadium where the Laver Cup was held is also the venue for of the 2009-2020 ATP year-end finals. Only the top eight players in the world can be shortlisted for the heavyweight event at the end of the season. In the 12 years since hosting the year-end finals in London, Federer has been shortlisted 10 times, reached the finals 5 times, and won the championship twice.
More special place is located in the southwest of O2 Stadium - All England Grass Club, about an hour's drive from O2 Stadium.It is the venue for the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, one of the four Grand Slam events, and it is also the place where King Federer creates a legend and becomes the nightmare and object of respect for generations of players.
This grassland Grand Slam event with a history of nearly 150 years is the palace in the hearts of countless professional tennis players. The Wimbledon , which adheres to tradition and has a very ritualistic sense, is also the strongest endorsement of tennis's "elegance". Participants must wear white jerseys, there are no dazzling billboards in the stadium, and in the royal box at the Central Stadium, members of the British royal family are regular visitors.
At Wimbledon, generations of players have left traces on that grass, but Federer's traces are profound and persistent. He won the championship 8 times, making him the most championships in history .
Feder believes that one of the highlights of his career happened in Wimbledon in 2001. At that time, he had been from a junior player to a professional player for three years, but he had not made any breakthrough in the Grand Slam. That year at Wimbledon, 20-year-old Federer faced seven-time Wimbledon champion Peter Sampras in the fourth round. It was his first time to step on the grass at Wimbledon Central Stadium and finally defeated his childhood idol in a five-set battle.
Federer after defeating Sampras at Wimbledon Image source: ATP official Weibo
The cruelty of competitive sports is that no one can keep winning. In 2002, the Central Stadium, which had been standing for a hundred years, bid farewell to Sampras. The next year, the All-English Club ushered in the Federer era. From 2003 to 2007, Federer achieved an amazing "five consecutive championships" at Wimbledon.
On July 7, 2021, the eighth-time champion Federer was eliminated by Polish player Hulkach straight sets in three sets, and did not get a third set in one game. He revealed in a later interview that that set was definitely the worst time in his career. "I realized that nothing worked, it was over, disappointment exploded in my mind like fireworks." After the
game, he waved and left the game, but no one at that time would have thought that it was Federer's last game at Wimbledon. Without smooth control of the whole game, without victory, the moment he walked out of the central court with his ball bag on his back, Federer headed towards the train that was leaving.
During this year's Wimbledon schedule, the Central Stadium held a centenary commemoration event, and Federer, who did not participate in the competition due to injury, attended the event. He is in a suit and tie, standing among the many former champions invited to attend the event. When asked about his feelings about playing at Central Stadium over the years, he said: "It's a bit strange to stand at Central Stadium this year as a different person, but there are my most wonderful victory and most painful defeats in this field. I hope to stand here again as a player."
interviewed before the Laver Cup, Federer revealed more information, , for example, the decision to retire was done as soon as Wimbledon last year. "It's difficult to keep a secret, but when I said at the Wimbledon Centennial Ceremony that I hope to return, I was serious. But I soon knew that retirement was the right decision and I no longer struggled."
From Caddy to King of Football
Federer's retirement letter was posted on social media. The news spread across continents to China, and quickly topped the Weibo hot search list that night. In addition to the written letter, there is also a recording of him reading the letter. "I read each word countless times, and there may be 25 recorded versions at the end, which took two or three weeks," Federer said in an interview with the Laver Cup.
Federer in the 2022 Laval Cup Image source: ATP official Weibo
In his retirement letter, he said that when his love for tennis began, he was just an ordinary caddie in his hometown Basel . "I used to admire every player with curious eyes. They were like giants, and I began to dream. My dream made me start to work hard and believe in myself. I think I am the lucky person on earth, given tennis talent, and achieved a level I never thought about, and my career was far beyond my imagination."
Then let's go back to the starting point of the story.
On August 8, 1981, Federer was born in a middle-class family in Basel, Switzerland, with only one child in the family.When he was 3 years old, Federer's parents went to a local tennis club to play, and Federer picked up a tennis racket. Federer's extraordinary talent is fully demonstrated at the Basel Old Boys Tennis Club.
The stadium named after Federer in Basel Old Boys Club Image source: Photo provided by the interviewee
In 1993, 12-year-old Federer was a caddie in the Basel station game, and then he entered the Swiss National Tennis Training Center. Previously, he was hesitant about choosing football or tennis. Three years later, Federer completed his first junior tennis match in Switzerland and won the junior men's singles championship in the 1998 Wimbledon Tennis Championship two years later.
Another 5 years passed, and when Federer sounded the clarion call for his own era in 2003, he showed unparalleled dominance and stability.
But the boy also has unavoidable training to become a king.
Federer as a teenager would get furious because he didn't play the ball he wanted, throwing, roaring, and complaining. In the documentary "The Strike of Genius", Federer's father admitted that he and his wife were embarrassed by their son's behavior at the time, "we stood on the sidelines like fools." The father told Federer that if he continued like this, he would not be on the scene again.
2001 before of the French Open, Federer lost to Argentina player Quilari. In the final game, Federer angrily threw a ball over a controversial ball. "I quickly realized that doing so wouldn't help the outcome. If I didn't get rid of this bad habit, my career might fall to a low point."
Peter Carter may be the one who really prompted Federer to restrain his willfulness and dig out his talent. The former Australian professional met 9-year-old Federer at the Old Boys Club in Basel and became his true "first coach". Federer once said that if you want to thank someone for creating his technology, it is Carter.
Carter passed away unexpectedly in 2002, which greatly impacted Federer. "He never wanted me to be the kind of player who wasted talent. His death was a wake-up call for me, and since then I have started training very hard."
The next year at Wimbledon, Federer officially started the journey to build his own era. On February 2, 2004, Federer ranked first in the men's singles world for the first time, and sat firmly in this position for 237 consecutive weeks, setting the longest consecutive number of weeks in the world in the Open. In those four years, Federer was almost invincible.
2005 US Open Men's Singles Final Award Ceremony Picture Source: ATP official website
Andre Agassi , the first Golden Slam winner in the history of men's tennis. After losing to Federer in the 2005 US Open final, he said: "He is the only player among all my opponents who made me feel so good after I kept a serve on the court."
laborious ballet
gorgeous SLR, chic front-end, violent forehand and various amazing small balls, high and time travel, is a microcosm of Federer's stadium. In 2006, American novelist David Foster Wallace portrayed the "Federer moment" in tennis matches in his article - people would frighten their chins and widen their eyes, making sounds that would make their families come from other rooms to confirm whether the viewer was safe.
As one of the greatest athletes in tennis history, Federer demonstrates not only the dominant court control, but also his aesthetic tennis that can be called "performance style".
Federer won the championship at Wimbledon Image source: Wimbledon official Weibo
Wallace said that beauty is not the goal of competitive sports, but top sports competition is the main place to showcase the beauty of human beings. Wallace believes that the so-called human beauty is a special type of beauty, which may be called dynamic beauty, has nothing to do with gender or culture, but is related to the harmony between humans and the body. “In men’s sports, no one has talked about beauty, elegance or body before. Men may claim their ‘love’ for sports, but this love must always be reflected in the semiotics of war: elimination and progress, hierarchy and status, statistics, technical analysis, conquest, roar, punching the chest and stamping the feet, etc."
In the history of modern tennis, especially since the 1968 Open, different mainstream competitive styles and player representatives have been born in different eras. But Federer's game is like a dialogue with tennis history. The audience can see the delicateness of Bjönberg on the court, see the explosive side of Sampras, and see the shadow of Rod Laver. He absorbs the elements of old-school tennis and incorporates a more modern top-spin bottom line play.
"He is much more complex and more creative than most players. Roger is an artist who knows how to fight, like ballet, who looks effortlessly showing elegance and balance, but is actually very laborious. "Federer's physical fitness teacher Pierre Paganini said.
Ballet-like tennis is pleasing to the eye, but it is also difficult to resist various types of opponents who are constantly impacting. The documentary "Genius Strike" focuses on the 2008 Wimbledon men's singles final, a game that is regarded as the greatest of men's tennis, a confrontation between two tennis styles and the differentiation of new trends in the history of tennis.
Federer and Nadal's Wimbledon final, to some extent, brought Federer's early godly story back to the cruel side of competitive sports. That is, losing is the norm of competitive sports. There are too many clips and extended interpretations worth explaining in detail. It has all the elements of an epic game, and even more. For example, at the French Open before Wimbledon, Federer lost to Nadal in the final for the third consecutive year Dahl, the slams have been back again and again. In the past two years, Nadal has also lost to Federer in Wimbledon finals. King of Clay and King of Grass in the finals.
The quality of the game was extremely high and the scene was anxious. The high bounce produced by Nadal's strong top-spin ball made Federer's cool SLR tired of dealing with it. Nadal made two sets in one go, but Federer chased two sets in a row after the game was suspended due to rain. Just when everyone thought the five-time champion was going to make a big counterattack, a rain interrupted the game again. Nadal won the championship three times, and Federer saved three times. Finally, after Federer made a shot at the net, Nadal won the Wimbledon championship for the first time.
Federer after the 2008 Wimbledon final Image source: Documentary video screenshot
When the game ended, Wimbledon was already twilight. 27-year-old Federer sat alone, this was his first loss in the Wimbledon final. Federer might not have thought that his three losses in the Wimbledon finals were lost to another person. That was another great confrontation storyline. Djokovic from Serbia established his tennis era with another style of play.
Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic, three of them played one after another. The genius players jointly built the golden age of men's tennis. The three giants frequently confronted each other, either winning or losing. Federer's gorgeous and elegant style remains, but conquering the game is even more difficult.
Since the 2008 Wimbledon final, Federer has reached the men's singles final of the Grand Slam 15 times and won the championship 8 times. Before that, he also reached the Grand Slam final 15 times and won the championship 12 times.
On February 19, 2018, after winning the 20th Grand Slam championship in Australian Open , 36 The oldest Federer became the world's oldest No. in ATP history. This time, he stayed in this position for 4 weeks, which was also the last glory of the "Fei Dynasty".
champion Yifanren
When Federer posted a retirement letter on social media and quickly occupied global news headlines, Eddie and Aya (both pseudonyms) were not aware of it. They are both members of the official Weibo operation team of the Federer fan club. They have always loved this global sports idol since the 2009 Tieba era.
On Weibo, Federer fans have more than 1.15 million fans, which is the most influential Federer fan organization in China. In an interview with a reporter from " Daily Economic News ", Aya said that Federer knew the existence of the fan club. "We were also invited to go to the player lounge during the Shanghai Masters to communicate with him in person."
When communicating with Eddie and Aya, they both mentioned the Australian Open men's singles finals in 2009 and 2017. The lineup of the two games is the same, Federer vs. Nadal.The former ended with Federer's defeat, which was his fifth loss to Nadal in the Grand Slam final and the first time he lost in the Australian Open final. At the post-match awards ceremony, Federer said the words "God, it's killing me" and then covered his face and burst into tears. The latter is Federer's fantastic comeback after returning from injury, and he won the Grand Slam again after nearly five years.
Feder's award ceremony at the 2009 Australian Open final. Image source: Documentary video screenshot
Aya believes that the trough period and the defeat moment will make her feel that Federer is a more real person. "In the years when he was at his peak, everyone said he was a 'god', but in the trough periods, you would feel that he was more like a 'human'. I think those trough periods made everyone realize that Federer's surface calmness and calmness does not mean that he is really calm. He is actually very eager for victory, comeback, and championship."
Eddie told the reporter of the Economic News that he really started to like Federer in 2008. "That year he was at a low point in his career. I remember seeing news content like the end of the hero at that time. I think many people may prefer tragic stories in their hearts."
In 2008, in addition to the loss of the epic Wimbledon final, there was also the third defeat in the French Open final earlier. Earlier, Federer was diagnosed with mononucleosis, and before he recovered completely, the disease once affected his competitive level. That year, Federer's record of ranking first in the world for 237 consecutive weeks was ended by Nadal, and no Masters champion was recorded throughout the year.
Looking back at Federer's past games, the evidence that defines why he is great and is popular around the world may not all come from the hearty victory. Maybe it would be easier to understand "what he is not". For example, it does not fully conform to the public's stereotype of the absolute strongman .
"I think through the ages, everyone likes to portray the strong as an indestructible tough guy, but those who know tennis know that Federer is a person with a very delicate mind, and everyone has seen him cry many times. I think he has the power of fierce competitive sports and the sense of fragility and delicateness of being an ordinary person. He does not have the burden of masculinity. It will be very touching to coexist harmoniously in a top athlete," Eddie said.
In the arena, top athletes contribute wonderful duels, allowing the audience to appreciate the pure beauty of sports. Beyond athletics, sports are just a way of life. Too many people know, understand, like, and even participate in tennis because Federer. This may be a more precious value beyond Federer's long list of records. Aya told the reporter of Meike that many of her friends and many of her hometown tennis clubs play because of Federer. "There are some middle-aged men who go to play basketball at 7 a.m. every day and then go to work."
Aya shared a short story she witnessed. In 2019, Federer was invited to Hangzhou to participate in the Tmall Cup International Tennis Invitational Tournament. A boy sat in front of her, very excited throughout the whole process, and when Federer scored a very ordinary goal to her, he was filled with happiness on his face. After the game, the boy and other fans went to the front row to wait for the autograph, and finally he got the autograph as he wished. During the few seconds of signing, he told Federer in a less smooth English that he liked him very much. Federer smiled and thanked him, saying he had the opportunity to see him. After Federer left the field, the boy happily circled around in the same circle. "Federer knows that this is just a signature for him, but for this boy, it will be a perfect memory." After
announced his retirement, Federer said in an interview that fans are the top priority for him. "If the element of fans is removed, the number of tennis players will lose about 80% of the meaning, emotions and feelings. I will miss the interaction with fans very much."
Finally, let's go back to London. Perhaps Federer did not expect that his career farewell match was with Nadal, one of his biggest opponents, forming a doubles combination. Nadal's uncle once commented on the relationship between the two: "They are always forced to break through the limits and go further. But getting better is not just to win, but to make being better a thing in life."
Federer after the Laval Cup Picture source: Video screenshot
24 career, 1526 singles games, 1251 singles wins, 103 championships, world first in 310 weeks, 0 withdrawals. After leaving these numbers, Federer continued to move forward towards life. There was no absolute win or loss there, but there were still tennis and fans he loved.
reporter| Zhu Peng
editor| Duan Lian Dong Xingsheng Yi Qijiang
proofreading| Wang Yuelong
part of the content is comprehensive from CCTV News , The Paper, Yangcheng Evening News, etc.
｜Daily Economic News nbdnews Original article｜
Reprinting, excerpting, copying and mirroring are prohibited without permission
Daily Economic News
