Roger Federer hopes to bow out of tennis in doubles alongside Rafael Nadal

After spending so many of their best years battling on the biggest stages as they took their sport to unforeseen levels, Roger Federer hopes he will play the final match of his illustrious career in doubles alongside Rafael Nadal, his old rival. “Of course. No doubt,” Federer said after being asked on Wednesday if partnering with Nadal would appeal to him.

“For us to go through a career that we both have had and to come out on the other side and being able to have a nice relationship is maybe a great message to not just tennis but sports and maybe even beyond.”

Having announced last week that he would retire at the Laver Cup in London, Federer said he will be able to compete only in doubles because of the limitations with his surgically repaired knee.

He will play one match on Friday, the opening day of competition, and then he will be done after more than 1,500 matches and 20 grand slam titles since his debut in 1998.

“I was in a very worried, scared place to face the music, the media, the fans and everything,” Federer said. “Being able to talk about it in a normal fashion without getting emotional, just because I know how much it means to me.”

No retirement is easy, but the final stages for Federer have been particularly complicated. His final singles match will go down as a brutal defeat by Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon last year, his knee giving way as he lost the third set 6-0.

Federer underwent surgery in August and began rehab with the aim of returning to full competition, only for more complications to emerge.

“You start getting too pessimistic. Then I also got a scan back which wasn’t what I wanted it to be. At some point you sit down and go: ‘OK, we are at an intersection here, at a