Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal's wholesome response to playing doubles again

Roger Federer‘s incredible tennis career is sadly over.

On Friday evening, the Swiss superstar stepped out onto court for the very last time and unsurprisingly, things got emotional.

Federer played alongside his eternal rival Rafael Nadal in a doubles match against Team World’s Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe at the Laver Cup.

The pair of GOATs were defeated 4-6, 7-6 (2), 11-9, but the contest at the O2 Arena will live long in the memory.

Both Federer and Nadal were in tears after the conclusion of the game, a moment that ranks among the greatest in the modern history of professional sport.

Read more – Federer & Nadal cry during emotional retirement

Tennis just will not be the same without Federer, but the time feels right for him to bow out of the game.

The 41-year-old turned pro way back in 1998 and went on to win 20 Grand Slam singles titles, including a record eight Wimbledon titles. He was also ranked number one in the world by the ATP for 310 weeks, with 237 of them coming in succession – another tennis record.

He’s simply one of the greatest sportspeople of all time and that’s why many want him to hang around for a few more years.

In an interview with Nadal at the Laver Cup, Federer was asked if he was tempted to put his retirement on hold and keep playing doubles.

The responses from the pair were just so wholesome.

– Are you not tempted at all to just keep playing doubles together?Rafa: Maybe! I can retire from singles!Roger: We think we're gonna be a great doubles pair and at the end we win nothing