The Roger Federer saga: A perfect journey ends

Wonderful
journey

“It’s
been
a
wonderful
day,”
he
said.
“I
told
the
guys
I’m
happy,
I’m
not
sad.
It
feels
great
to
be
here,
and
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
with
fans,
family
and
friends
–
I
didn’t
feel
the
stress
so
much,
even
though
I
did
think
something
was
going
to
go.
Pop
a
calf,
or
lock
my
back
or
something.

Other
icons

“I’m
so
happy
to
make
it
through,
the
match
was
great,
I
couldn’t
be
happier.
It’s
been
wonderful.
“Of
course,
playing
with
Rafa
on
the
same
team,
and
having
the
guys
all
here,
the
legends…
thank
you.”

With
Nadal,
Novak
Djokovic
and
Andy
Murray
among
those
in
the
Team
Europe
corner,
Federer
said
it
was
a
special
feeling
to
get
to
share
his
finish
line
with
other
icons
of
the
sport.

Goodbye
Federer

It’s
amazing,
it
really
is,”
he
said.
“I
didn’t
want
it
to
feel
lonely
out
there…
to
be
saying
goodbye
in
a
team,
I
always
felt
I
was
a
team
player
at
heart.

“Singles
doesn’t
really
do
that
a
whole
lot,
but
I’ve
had
a
team
that
travels
with
me
around
the
world,
that’s
been
amazing
with
them.
“It
does
feel
like
a
celebration
to
me.
I
wanted
to
feel
like
this
at
the
end,
and
it’s
exactly
what
I
hoped
for,
so
thank
you.”

What
next?

In
the
hindsight,
the
result
of
the
match
was
of
academic
interest
as
the
occasion
was,
after
all,
about
the
farewell
itself.
Or,
better,
the
farewells,
plural:
Federer’s
to
tennis,
to
the
fans,
to
his
competitors
and
colleagues.
And,
naturally,
each
of
those
entities’ farewells
to
Federer.

Federer’s
farewell
follows
that
of
Serena
Williams,
the
owner
of
23
major
singles
championships,
at
the
US
Open
three
weeks
ago
after
a
third-round
loss.
It
leaves
questions
about
the
future
of
a
game
he
and
she
dominated,
and
transcended,
for
decades.
For
the
time
being,
it’s
adios
champion!