It was the career that changed the face of tennis - but it ended in a dramatic defeat in the Laver Cup.
At the age of 41, with more than 1,500 matches and 103 titles to his name, Roger Federer has bowed out of the sport. And he did so having teamed up with Rafael Nadal on an epic night as the pair were beaten by Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe 4-6 7-6 11-9, as Team World came back to 2-2 overall.
However, the significance of his final bow at The O2 Arena in London delved far deeper than the result. And in the immediate aftermath of the contest, the appreciation shown from all quarters towards the man who transcended his sport spoke volumes of the legacy he'll leave behind.
It was gone 10pm by the time the final match of day one got underway, with Andy Murray's defeat to Alex de Mineur in the previous game having gone the distance. And after warm handshakes with all his teammates, the Swiss magician stepped onto a tennis court for the final time of his incredible career.
And fittingly, his first action was to put away an elegant backhand volley, with a grace that has always been synonymous with his game. The roar that accompanied the winner raised the roof in The O2, metaphorically at least.
In another suitable addition to the script, on his final night Federer still managed to produce a moment to leave fans aghast. At 1-1, he contrived to squeeze a forehand shot between the tiny gap in the net chord and the post - with the umpire needing to watch the big screen reply before making his decision.
As the set wore on, the two legendary figures were clearly targeting the more inexperienced Tiafoe, but on Nadal's serve, found themselves break point down at 4-4. A big serve from the Spaniard saved it though, and then at 5-4 up, came Team Europe's chance.
A stinging return from Nadal on Sock's serve gave the duo a set point, and as so often in his iconic career, Federer played the pressure moment seamlessly as he struck the winner to seal the set. All Team Europe members, as well as spectators, were straight off their feet.
With Federer having not played since his third bout of knee surgery a year ago, and Nadal still hampered by the rib injury which derailed the latter half of his 2022 season, the contest began with doubts over the fitness of both the elder players. However, there was no sign of either being hampered when they won an incredible rally at the start of the second set.
But at 1-1, Nadal faced three break points. A crisp winner and an ace saved two of them, but Tiafoe's return then proved too good as Team World got a foothold. Immediately Borg's pair threatened to break back, but wasted three chances in the game that followed .
At 2-3 down though, the old fighting qualities of the two shone through, breaking serve amid a dubious call against Tiafoe who was adjudged to have executed a 'double hit'. And at 4-4, came what proved to be the final service game of Federer's career, and poignantly, he produced two big serves at deuce to hold.
And at 5-5, the two veterans had to dig deeper still, saving six break points on Nadal's serve before matters moved into a tie break - where the America pair upped the ante to take it 7-3, meaning another tie-break to decide the clash. A Federer ace sent the arena into frenzy, but he and Nadal couldn't take a match point at 9-8, and eventually a Sock forehand winner spoilt the fairytale.
