Berrettini beats Auger-Aliassime at Laver Cup as Federer watches on

Federer said a tearful goodbye to tennis late on Friday night when the 20-time Grand Slam champion and doubles partner Rafael Nadal were beaten by Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe at London's O2 Arena. The 41-year-old announced earlier this month that he would retire after the Laver Cup due to the knee problems that had kept him on the sidelines since Wimbledon in 2021.

Federer's fitness issues meant he could only play one doubles match, so Berrettini was called into the Team Europe squad to replace the Swiss legend after the last game of his incredible career. With Federer watching from courtside, Berrettini proved a capable deputy as he defeated Auger-Aliassime 7-6 (13/11), 4-6, 10/7 to give Team Europe a 4-2 lead in the three-day tournament.

The 26-year-old Italian, who finished as the 2021 Wimbledon runner-up, had to dig deep to hold off a spirited challenge from Auger-Aliassime, a 22-year-old Canadian rising star. Auger-Aliassime, ranked 13th in the world, is one of a group of prodigies hoping to take over from Federer and Nadal as the sport's next generation.

Nadal had opted to pull out of the rest of the tournament after the Federer doubles match for what organisers said were "personal reasons". The Spanish world number three, who has been struggling with an abdominal injury while his wife is heavily pregnant, was replaced by Cameron Norrie on the Team Europe roster.

On the first day of his life after tennis, Federer could have been forgiven for following Nadal's example and heading off for a well-earned rest. But Federer showed his passion for tennis is unlikely to fade anytime soon as he sat courtside to support Berrettini with the rest of the Team Europe squad despite the post-midnight finish to his emotional