Roger Federer thought he might 'pop a calf' or 'block a back' in final match of his career

Roger Federer bid an emotional adieu to tennis as he paired up with Rafael Nadal in a doubles event for the final match of his career at the Laver Cup on Saturday. Representing Team Europe, the legendary pair went down fighting against Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe of the Team World at the O2 Arena in London.

But the result hardly mattered as the day belonged to Federer, a legend of the game and one of the greatest of all time. It was all about the Swiss ace, who couldn't hold back his tears soon after the game was over and was seen tearing up as he delivered his final speech in front of a packed crowd.

While expressing gratitude to all those who made it to his final match, Federer said he enjoyed tying his shoes for one last time and was glad he managed to successfully complete the match. The Swiss legend admitted he thought something might go wrong and he might end up sustaining an injury during his final game.

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"I enjoyed tying my shoes one more time and everything was the last time. Funny enough with all the matches and having the guys and being here (amid) fans, family, friends... didn’t feel the stress so much even though I did think like something was going to go (wrong) - pop a calf or block a back or something in the match," Federer said after the game.

If there's one thing you watch today, make it this.#LaverCup | @rogerfederer pic.twitter.com/Ks9JqEeR6B — Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 23, 2022

Federer was joined by his wife Mirka, his four children and his parents for his farewell match at the O2 Arena. The Swiss maestro was incredibly emotional as he thanked his family for their support and said his tears were out of happiness and not because he was sad.

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The 20-time Grand Slam champion dominated world tennis for almost two decades and enjoyed an unparalleled rivalry with Nadal. Federer secured 1251 wins in his ATP Tour career, the second most after Jimmy Connors, who bagged 1274 wins in his career.He won his last Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in 2018.

He will be retiring with a total of103 ATP tour-level trophies in his career, placing him only behindConnors, who won 109 tour-level titles. Federer had earlier revealed he had made up his mindabout retiring a few months ago due to persistent knee issues and it was only about how to announce it to the rest of the world.