Roger Federer: 20-time Grand Slam champion retires after Laver Cup loss

After teaming up with fellow great Rafael Nadal on an emotional night, Roger Federer waved goodbye to professional tennis.

After retiring as a professional, the 41-year-old received a long applause from the crowd.

One of the best tennis players of all time is the Swiss.

It has been a great day. I am not sad. It's nice to be here. He was happy that he made it through.

As he hugged Nadal and other players, he cried and was applauded by 17,500 fans.

The tears were not held back by Nadal. The 36-year-old Spaniard cried as he sat alongside the 17-time Grand Slam winner while listening to a song.

In the annual team event between Europe and the rest of the world, Roger and Nadal joined forces to play doubles against American duo Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe.

Despite not having played competitively for over a year, the pair pushed the other two before they lost.

They almost won it. The pair had a match point at 9-8 in the decider, but they couldn't get it done.

The 25-year professional career of the former world number one came to an end after 1,750 competitive matches.

It's been a great ride. As he tried to hold back tears during his speech, he said he would do it all again.

Federer throws the retirement celebration he wanted

He had battled a knee injury for most of the past three years and needed three operations to overcome it.

He hadn't played a match since he lost to Hurkacz in the Wimbledon quarter-finals.

He hoped that he would still be able to return to Grand Slam tournaments despite being limited to three of the 11.

Last week he announced that he was going to retire because his body's message lately has been clear.

He wanted the occasion to be fun and not real, so he talked about throwing a party to celebrate.

There was a celebration in the arena.

He was watched by his wife Mirka, their four children, and his parents Robert and Lynette, and every move he made was greeted with cheers.

The family joined him on the court after a long celebration in which many more tears were shed.

The boys and girls are here. My wife supports me very much. She could have stopped me a long time ago but she did not.

Thank you, she kept me going and let me play.

Several tennis legends including Rod Laver, along with celebrities including Hugh Grant and Anna Wintour, added to the occasion.

The current world number one, Carlos Alcaraz, and Iga Swiatek, as well as Stan Wawrinka, watched the match on television.

His movement was limited because of a knee injury, and he was only able to play doubles.

He joked that he was happy to get through the match without getting injured.

Even if something happened during the match, I didn't feel stressed out.

The match was great and I was very happy to make it through. I'm happy.

What Federer means to tennis and his fans

He became one of the most popular players in tennis history and pushed boundaries with his play.

His style of play has endeared him to millions of fans around the world. His pleasant personality has also been present.

Tennis doesn't matter to the man. For some, he is almost beyond comprehension.

Hundreds of fans filed into the arena before the match wearing clothing and accessories endorsed by the Swiss tennis player.

Hats, T-shirts, scarves, banners, and even earrings are available. The national colors of Switzerland are red and white.

There were Swiss flags around the arena.

Robert Springer from Poland said he was a fan of the 'King of Tennis'.

He is a good father and has a lot of qualities. He has plenty of time for his fans. Robert said that he was the one and only.

The tickets for the night session on Friday were sold out before the announcement that he was going to retire.

They were being offered for over a thousand dollars each. Initially, they were available for less than $60.

The celebrations continued for about an hour after the match ended, but few people left before the end.

I would like to thank everyone. I've had a lot of people cheering for me and you guys tonight mean the world to me.