Roger Federer's 'quick warmup before gala', in a black tuxedo; watch video

Roger Federer will draw curtains on his spectacular career in a “super special” match at the Laver Cup in London today, 23 September. He will team up with his longtime rival Rafael Nadal for Team Europe. The duo will take on the Team World doubles pairing of Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock. But before his final showdown, Roger Federer shared a clip of himself warming up. Any guesses what he was up to? The Swiss great was playing table tennis with Team World’s Diego Schwartzman. In the clip, Roger Federer was seen decked up in a black tuxedo, and he looked charming as ever. “Just a quick warmup before the gala”, he wrote alongside the video. So far, the 22-second clip, on the microblogging platform, has amassed over 4.8 million views. Watch the video:

Roger Federer, dogged by a knee injury, has not played since the quarterfinal loss to Hubert Hurkacz at Wimbledon 2021. Last week, the 20-time Grand Slam Champion announced his retirement at the age of 41. For one last time, he will appear in the Laver Cup with Nadal. Team Europe also includes Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, who are the other two members of the ‘Big Four’. Murray will make his debut at the Laver Cup today. He will play Australia’s Alex de Minaur at the start of the night session before Federer and Nadal take to the court. For the final two days of the three-day tournament, Italian Matteo Berrettini will take Federer’s place. This is the second time Roger Federer and Nadal will be on the same team. Previously, the two teamed up to win a doubles match during the first Laver Cup in 2017. Announcing his retirement, in an Instagram post, Federer wrote, “I am 41 years old. I have played more than 1500 matches over 24 years. Tennis has treated me more generously than I ever would have dreamt, and now I must recognize when it is time to end my competitive career.” Last few years of Federer’s career have been marred with injuries. He said, “As many of you know, the past three years have presented me with challenges in the form of injuries and surgeries.” Stating that he has worked hard to return to full competitive form, Federer highlighted that he knows his body’s capacities and limits.