"The most hate, negativity & criticism I've ever received" - Jack Sock looks back on beating Roger Federer in his farewell match at Laver Cup

Roger Federer marked the end of his career in one of the most emotionally charged matches at the Laver Cup 2022 against Jack Sock. The duo was part of a doubles match at the tournament, with Federer partnering with Rafael Nadal and Sock teaming up with Frances Tiafoe.

Roger Federer chose Laver Cup 2022 as the final tournament of his professional career and played doubles alongside his longtime rival and close friend Rafael Nadal. The legendary team faced Americans Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe on Day 1 of the tournament and unfortunately came up short 4-6, 7-6 (2), 11-9.

Sock recently looked back on his match against Federer from the 2022 Laver Cup in an episode of the Nothing Major Podcast, which he hosts with compatriot and former tennis stars Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson. Sock called the match the "weirdest" he had ever played, recalling the pressure on him and Tiafoe while facing the GOATs of the sport.

"By far, the weirdest match I think I've ever played without a doubt. You know, I didn't necessarily know how Roger is gonna play coming back from injury. Obviously, the crowd is gonna be so against us, you know, playing Roger, play Rafa, two of the GOATs of our sport. And I don't even think like our box really cheered for us that much. I think there was just so much respect for Roger," Sock said.

After winning the match, the American said he and Tiafoe left the court as soon as possible to give Federer the space to celebrate his achievement and relish the moment. Sock also revealed that he received a lot of hate from fans on social media for beating the Swiss maverick in his final match.

"We obviously got off the court as fast as we could or you over to the bench, let him take as much as possible, you know, time as he wanted out there and that'll forever the most hate and negativity and criticism I've ever received," he said.

"We were literally the, I would say for a period of time, two of the most hated people in sports for like 48 hours. I mean, it was, it was incredible in there and it never stopped," he added

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Roger Federer graces Laver Cup 2024

Picture from Laver Cup 2024 (Image via Getty)

Sock's account of his match against Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal came after Federer made a special appearance at the Laver Cup 2024. The Swiss legend has been a constant presence in Berlin for the tournament, arriving in the German capital before the main action and even attending a pre-tournament meetup with other tennis greats like Andre Agassi, Boris Becker, and Yannick Noah.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion was instrumental in establishing the Laver Cup in 2017 and played in the tournament four times in his career. His return to the event in Berlin was made even more special as he hit the practice court and showed off his signature forehand and one-handed backhand shots.

The former World No. 1 was also present in the stands on day 1, i.e. September 20, of the competition. He cheered on Grigor Dimitrov as he beat Alejandro Tabilo and watched Carlos Alcaraz play tennis for the first time when the Spaniard competed in doubles alongside Alexander Zverev.