Roger Federer retires: 'We all had tears in our eyes' - Bjorn Borg on very emotional scenes at Laver Cup

Updated 25/09/2022 at 21:58 GMT

As the captain of Team Europe at the Laver Cup, tennis legend Bjorn Borg had a very unique and special perspective on the very emotional moments around Roger Federer's final professional match on Friday night. Federer said his goodbyes to the sport from a competitive match for the last time alongside Rafael Nadal in the opening doubles rubber at the O2 Arena in London.

Borg on emotional scenes as Federer retired - 'We all had tears in our eyes'

Team Europe captain Bjorn Borg has opened up about the emotional scenes as Roger Federer bowed out from professional tennis at the Laver Cup - watch 'Roger's Last Dance’ at 20:00 (BST) on Eurosport 1 and discovery+.

The 41-year-old superstar retired from the sport in hugely emotional scenes on Friday night alongside his great friend and rival, Rafael Nadal, in what were unforgettable moments for global tennis.

Borg had a unique perspective on the events as Federer's captain with Team Europe, and he has revealed what he said to the Swiss legend before the match and what the scenes were really like afterwards.

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"Roger is a good friend and he is one of the greats," Borg told Eurosport.

"He has always promoted tennis in an unbelievable way all over the world.

"He was a little bit nervous because he has not been playing too many matches and too many tournaments for a long time, but he did unbelievably well.

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"They had a good chance to win, but it was just for him to enjoy himself. This situation with the fans, so many people around the world watching him, I just told him to enjoy it and be happy.

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"Then after the match, all the emotions came and this is a normal thing. He has been around tennis for so many years, but this guy was unbelievable, and he is such a great person too.

"We know his family and we have been meeting each other for many years. We all had tears in our eyes because this great guy is stepping away from tennis.

"It is a sad thing, and definitely, we are going to miss him, but to see everyone there ... he knew that everyone supports him, loves him and will miss him."