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Roger Federer sparks 'ridiculous' chaos as tennis fans left raging

Riley Morgan
·Sports Reporter
·5-min read
Roger Federer's (pictured left) announcement that he will be retiring at the Laver Cup has sparked resale ticket prices to skyrocket, despite fears the Swiss maestro a doubt to play. (Getty Images)
Roger Federer's (pictured left) announcement that he will be retiring at the Laver Cup has sparked resale ticket prices to skyrocket, despite fears the Swiss maestro a doubt to play. (Getty Images)

Tennis fans have been left stunned after resale ticket prices to see Roger Federer's final tournament at the Laver Cup skyrocketed, despite fears the Swiss maestro won't take part in the event.

Last week, the day finally came when 20-time grand slam champ Federer announced that he would play his last competitive tennis match in London at the Laver Cup.

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The Swiss legend helped take tennis to new heights, along with his rival and friend Rafa Nadal, and has become one of the most popular sporting stars in the world.

The 41-year-old was expected to play at the Swiss Indoors in Basel next month, but announced the Laver Cup would be his final tournament due to his body not recovering from surgery as expected.

Federer's retirement has added extra significance to the relatively new tournament, which garnered popularity when the Swiss maestro and Nadal teamed-up in doubles for the time in their careers back in 2017.

However, Federer's last ever tournament has also seen ticket prices explode on resale websites.

Tennis fans had already hit out at the prices to see Federer and Nadal at the O2 Arena earlier in the year.

And the addition of Federer's retirement has seen tickets on resale websites explode with some of the most expensive reaching $414,000.

One reason why some ticket holders could be reselling is because of the fear Federer might not actually play in the tournament.

Federer's fitness coach made the stunning admission he might not be able to play due to his recovery from the knee injury taking its toll on the 41-year-old.

With tickets on the official website being sold for as much as $25,000, these supporters could be left frustrated if Federer isn't able to compete one last time.

Roger Federer (pictured) arrives in London ahead of the Laver Cup.
Roger Federer (pictured) has arrived to play at the Laver Cup, but there are reports he might not take part.(Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Laver Cup) (Clive Brunskill via Getty Images)

Roger Federer a doubt for Laver Cup farewell

The 41-year-old hasn't played since undergoing a third knee surgery following his loss in the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2021, spending 14 months on the sidelines as he built up his fitness for one last crack at the ATP tour.

The 20-time grand slam champion was supposed to play at the Swiss Indoors in Basel next month and had even expressed his desire to play at Wimbledon one last time next year.

The Swiss legend is due to join forces with Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray on Team Europe - the first time all four members of the 'Big 4' will play on the same side.

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer celebrate winning the Laver Cup.
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are both expected to play at the Laver Cup in Federer's farewell to tennis. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Laver Cup ) (Clive Brunskill via Getty Images)

But speaking on Sunday, Federer's fitness coach Pierre Paganini cast some doubt on the 41-year-old's chances of being fit to play.

"This will probably be a last-moment decision," Paganini told Swiss newspaper Blick about Federer's participation.

"He's practised at a level in order to determine exactly if playing is a good idea or not."

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