Matteo Berrettini was in London for Roger Federer‘s retirement at the 2022 Laver Cup, and he shared what the Swiss legend told his teammates who were there.
The 20-time major winner held out hope that he would be able to return from a knee injury, but ultimately, he had to give up when it became clear that it wouldn’t work out.
The decision to retire came in the summer, with the final event being the Laver Cup in London. Berrettini was part of Team Europe for that event, and he remembers how emotional the tournament was.
Rafael Nadal was crying, Federer was crying, and it was just a very emotional night. Berrettini particularly remembers the Swiss player and what he told his teammates about wanting to keep playing but being unable to do so.
“When I was in London [last year] busy celebrating Roger Federer’s last match, he was crying because he was sad about leaving something that he loved so much, and was telling us: ‘You guys have no idea how lucky you are, that you can keep playing. I would give a lot to just be able to play one more match, have one more win, one more important tournament. So keep enjoying, keep striving, because this is the best sport ever and you’ve got to enjoy it.'”
It was a profound moment for Berrettini, who grew up watching Federer. Seeing him there bemoaning his retirement put things into perspective for him. He can also relate on a personal level because he’s dealt with a lot of injuries lately, and he, too, loves to play tennis.
“And I think that’s when I really understood the power of loving what you do. That it’s in the bad moments and the good moments, it’s just enjoying the ride – I’ve tried to do that since.”
