"Sometimes when we see our idols, we don't remember how they went out" - Roger Federer on his 'beautiful, perfect, emotional' Laver Cup 2022 farewell

Roger Federer recently looked back on the emotional send-off that he had received after his career's final match at the Laver Cup last year.

The Swiss legend has not been in the public eye much since his retirement from tennis in 2022. In that context, his return to the tennis world at the 2023 Laver Cup as a special guest left fans severely overjoyed.

The 42-year-old appeared for an on-court interview during Day 1 of the event and subsequently disclosed that he had his doubts when it came to bringing the curtain down on his career. Federer said:

"I was always dreading the moment for years, cause I knew it was going to come. And I know that sometimes when we see our tennis idols, we don't remember actually how they went out. All we remember is all the great things they did for tennis, and I was just worried my end was somehow going to be 'not nice'."

Roger Federer then expressed satisfaction with his last match and the special ceremony that followed, while also claiming that he was 'lucky' to hang up his racket on such a high note.

"And it was the opposite, it was great. I felt really good about it, really happy and something I feel I was really lucky to experience."

During the interview, the 20-time Grand Slam champion also revealed how delighted he was at making a trip to the Laver Cup — an event that he co-created in 2017. He said:

"It's been a great year, first. Great to see you all [the players], thank you for coming to the Laver Cup. It's great to be back at the Laver Cup one year later."

The Swiss did not forget to thank the tennis community for bidding him farewell in such a great fashion.

"If I look back at the memories, I thought the farewell was beautiful, it was perfect, it was emotional. There was some proper suffering going on throughout my talk with you, and the moments spent with the team, with London, the fans, the family, in the moment I don't think could've been any nicer," he said.

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Roger Federer teamed up with Rafael Nadal to play the final match of his career

Roger Federer cries during his retirement ceremony at the 2022 Laver Cup

Roger Federer won 20 Major titles — the third most in men's tennis history. He was a regular figure in the top echelons of the game for nearly two decades. That, however, changed in 2020 when he sustained a knee injury during the Australian Open.

Federer subsequently underwent double arthroscopic surgery to rectify the issue. After a prolonged absence from tennis, the Swiss finally made his comeback to the tour in 2021. He was a step slower, though, with age finally having caught up with him.

That, however, did not stop him from reaching the quarterfinals of Wimbledon that year, where he lost to Poland's Hubert Hurkacz. He seemingly re-injured his knee during the match, requiring yet another surgery.

The Swiss remained on the sidelines for the remainder of the 2021 season after that loss. He was also out of action at the beginning of 2022 but resurfaced in September to announce that he would be retiring from professional tennis at the Laver Cup in London.

For the final match of his career, Federer teamed up with his good friend Rafael Nadal to take on Team World's Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock in what turned out to be a blockbuster doubles match.

The Team Europe duo even held a match point in the deciding set of the match, which was saved comfortably by their opponents. Federer and Nadal eventually lost the match, 4-6, -7-6 (2), 11-9 bringing the Swiss' illustrious career to an end.