Picture Credit: Twitter
Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer called it a career as he played his final pro-tennis game in the 2022 Laver Cup. Federer teamed up with his long-time rival and friend Rafael Nadal for Team Europe against the Team World’s American duo of Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock. The fixture didn’t go in Federer and Nadal’s favour but the moment was magical as everyone came together to celebrate the Swiss maestro’s illustrious career.
But it wasn’t all positive for Tiafoe as the American's post about the doubles match received a lot of comments criticizing him for beating Federer, with fans calling him names. While one person called him a "moron", others described him as "the worst" and called him out for "bringing shame to the sport of tennis."
Whereas some fans simply expressed anger towards him for beating the 20-time Grand Slam champion in his last professional match, one such commentator posted that they couldn’t remember Tiafoe and Sock with this same level of intensity at the US Open. Another netizen expressed that Tiafoe only wanted to "spoil" Federer's curtain call.
But this sentiment wasn’t visible in the American duo as Jack Sock expressed that he and his teammate were proud of being part of the 'competitive' match in the post-match press conference. "It's tough, I think, said Sock.
"While playing, it felt like a match. Settled in while we were all bawling our eyes out there afterwards, but during the match, felt like a competitive match. Foe and I played him together for the first time, trying to bring crazy energy. Obviously had 99.9% of the crowd against us. But it was super fun to just be a part of that match. I think we are going to be forever grateful to be a part of the GOAT's final match," he added.