Why I (too) cried at Roger Federer’s farewell match

It was a very enjoyable event to watch Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal team up and play doubles as Team Europe against Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe of Team World at the 02 Arena, in London, UK. The match had been long-anticipated since Roger Federer announced his imminent retirement from tennis, the week before – with tickets to the Laver Cup going for over £1,000+ a pop. Both sides brought their best selves to the court, the rapport between Roger and Rafa with constant laughs and teases was palpable, though Federer was being cautious to not aggravate his injury. The match ended with Team World winning on the tie break and I could not stop thinking that this was effectively the last time Roger Federer would serve in his professional career.

The match ended, the players shook hands and patted each other on the back and then the gravity of that moment hit home. What followed was a heart-warming farewell of the G.O.A.T with in some ways, an unexpected display of emotion and of course admiration and appreciation for one of the greatest athletes of our time.

I have been an avid tennis fan for many years (and admittedly not even an actual tennis player!) and you may not be a tennis fan or care for the sport at all but there is greater importance in the figure of Roger Federer than meets the eye, beyond the sport of tennis.

There are three elements/lessons we can learn from Roger Federer:

It takes hard work, determination and “a village” to succeed
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Becoming and being an elite athlete (or musician or any other vocation), it requires talent, perseverance and support. Support from everyone around you – physical, emotional and financial. This does not only apply to athletes but to people in business and entrepreneurs. It was not a surprise that Roger Federer thanked his team that has been with him for years, his wife/partner that “allowed him to continue playing” and his parents, who probably shuttled him from city to city to play local tennis tournaments in the early years. Teamwork and not only his talent and skill made his career possible. And even though tennis is an individual sport, he chose his last match to be a doubles one in a tournament with teams and no individuals. To draw a parallelism here, a successful CEO cannot achieve anything without the support of their team.

Taking advantage of the opportunity when it appears

I remember reading an article in the FT where the author was comparing Roger Federer to Novak Djokovic. Two incredible tennis players that come from different backgrounds. The important thing here is not who has had a tougher past, each person has his own obstacles to overcome. There is no doubt that Federer was born in Switzerland and in some ways had the privilege to be exposed to tennis but it is also important to highlight what he did with it. Over multiple years of success – financial and professional, Federer always maintained an incredible demeanour of respect and grace, both on and off the court. Such a level of poise is not often observed in our current world of social media frenzy and we need more role models of such calibre.

Being authentic and unfiltered, displaying emotions is allowed

Federer has been accused of being “too Swiss”, “too collected” and “too unemotional” and in his last act, he was pretty much the opposite. His tears were real, the tears of everyone else in the grey court were real and it was so beautiful. Beautiful because emotions are part of what makes us human and showing our emotions should not be deemed as a weakness. The fact that most of the players in both Team Europe and Team World teared up shows that they are still the world’s top tennis players that also were sad to say goodbye to Roger from his court career and happy to see what the future holds for him. Roger kept telling his children who were also crying, startled: “I am happy”. I have immense respect for this level of authenticity. I can already hear the nay-sayers, “it was good for PR” but honestly, you cannot make this one up. Let’s celebrate the ability to be both tough and cry.

The legacy of Roger Federer not only for the world of tennis but in the wider context is hugely important. Over many years, he has demonstrated that one can succeed, become very successful and wealthy while maintaining empathy, ethos and good humour. Friday night at Laver Cup essentially saw a bunch of elite male athletes crying their hearts out and honouring one of times’ greatest athletes and role models. We need more role models like Federer.