An emotional Roger Federer bid farewell to the game he loves following Friday's Laver Cup doubles loss alongside long-time rival Rafael Nadal, calling his send-off "exactly what I hoped for".

Federer and Nadal went head-to-head with American duo Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe in the 20-time grand slam champion's last ever match, but after taking the first set, the megastars lost a second-set tie-break as well as the match tie-break for a 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 11-9 result.

The 41-year-old was then given the stage to reflect on his incredible journey to becoming one of the greatest players to ever grace the court.

After sharing his fear that he would not be able to get any words out due to the emotions of the moment, he said it was a perfect way to wrap up a perfect career.

"It's been a wonderful day," he said. "I told the guys I'm happy, I'm not sad. It feels great to be here, and I enjoyed tying my shoes one more time, and everything was the last time.

"Funny enough, with all the matches, and having the guys, and being here with fans, family and friends – I didn't feel the stress so much, even though I did think something was going to go. Pop a calf, or lock my back or something.

"I'm so happy to make it through, the match was great, I couldn't be happier. It's been wonderful.

"Of course, playing with Rafa on the same team, and having the guys all here, the legends… thank you."

With Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray among those in the Team Europe corner, Federer said it was a special feeling to get to share his finish line with other icons of the sport.

"It's amazing, it really is," he said. "I didn't want it to feel lonely out there… to be saying goodbye in a team, I always felt I was a team player at heart.

"Singles doesn't really do that a whole lot, but I've had a team that travels with me around the world, that's been amazing with them.

"It does feel like a celebration to me. I wanted to feel like this at the end, and it's exactly what I hoped for, so thank you."

When asked to reflect on his legacy and standing in the game, Federer became overwhelmed with emotion, saying "it was never supposed to be that way".

"I was just happy to play tennis, and spend time with my friends really," he said. "And it ends here. It has been a perfect journey and I would do it all over again.

"It's been great. It's been so much fun. It's been amazing."

A tearful Roger Federer bid goodbye to a 25-year career with defeat at the Laver Cup in a doubles contest that went past midnight in London.

Federer teamed with long-time rival Rafael Nadal against American duo Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock as Team Europe face Team World at the O2 Arena.

After winning the first set, the Swiss and the Spaniard were faced with a spirited fightback from Tiafoe and Sock, who won a second-set tie-break before also clinching the match tie-break to seal victory 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 11-9.

There had been a great atmosphere in London on Friday for the fifth edition of the three-day competition.

Federer, 41, had not played a match since he was knocked out of Wimbledon by Hubert Hurkacz at the quarter-final stage last year due to knee injury.

There were huge cheers when Federer and Nadal came onto the court and loud roars for the Swiss great when he came up with his first winner.

There was a sensational moment in the first set when Federer appeared to have won a point after his shot hit the top of the net and bounced in, only for a replay to show the ball had somehow been hit through a small hole between the net and the post, meaning Team Europe lost the point, despite the remarkably unlikely event of the ball passing through such a gap.

Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray were among Federer and Nadal's team-mates offering some tactical input between games, and the legendary duo had to save a first break point of the match before the Spaniard held to put them 5-4 up.

It was two of the all-time greats that took a tight opening set when Sock put a volley into the net, prompting Team World captain John McEnroe to tell his doubles pair they appeared to be getting "caught up in the hoopla." 

A determined Team World managed to level it up after a back-and-forth second set went to a tie-break, with Tiafoe and Sock coming out on top with their superior power and pace.

That took it to a dramatic deciding match tie-break, with every point keeping fans holding their breath, including some trademark Federer magic at 6-7 when he diverted a Sock shot across court for a crowd-pleasing winner.

It looked like the dream script was being followed as Federer served at match point for himself and Nadal, but the former could only hit a shot into the net, before Sock and Tiafoe won the next two points to secure the win for Team World.

It was then hugs all round as respect was paid to the 20-time grand slam winner at the conclusion of a phenomenal career. 

Earlier in the day, Casper Ruud drew first blood for the Team Europe, beating Sock 6-4 5-7 10-7, before Stefanos Tsitsipas doubled their advantage with an emphatic 6-2 6-1 defeat of Diego Schwartzman.

There was drama after the first set of that second singles match when a protester, wearing a T-shirt with the message, "END UK PRIVATE JETS" on, set their arm alight on court before being escorted out by security. 

Alex de Minaur then got Team World on the board with a 5-7 6-3 10-7 success over home favourite Murray before the late-night main event under the lights.

Stanislas Wawrinka edged closer to a first ATP Tour title in five years after edging Mikael Ymer in a thriller to reach the Moselle Open semi-finals.

On the same day fellow countryman Roger Federer would hang up his racquet at the Laver Cup, Wawrinka was forced to go all the way by his opponent in Metz, eventually winning 6-4 4-6 7-6 (7-5).

The three-time grand slam champion, whose injury struggles and form have seen him tumble to 284 in the world rankings, served up seven aces to Ymer's two, and made no double faults.

Victory moves him into the last four, where he will meet seventh seed Alexander Bublik after the Kazakh saw off Holger Rune in another three-set encounter with a 6-3 5-7 6-4 win.

Defending champion Hubert Hurkacz is also through to the semi-finals after making quick work of home favourite Arthur Rinderknech, winning 6-3 6-2.

The world number 10 will face Lorenzo Sonego next after the Italian also came through his quarter-final in straight sets against Sebastian Korda.

A 14-year-old Russian tennis player has been banned for nine months after failing a drugs test.

The teenager, who cannot be named due to their age, was suspended by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) after testing positive for banned substance Meldonium in January this year.

The player, who had been selected for a random anti-doping test during only their second senior ITF tournament, admitted a breach of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP) rules.

With the ban backdated to the date of the player's provisional suspension of March 5, the youngster is ineligible to compete in or attend any tennis events authorised, organised or sanctioned by the governing bodies of the sport until December 4.

Meldonium is a metabolic modulator, prohibited under section S4 of the WADA Prohibited List.

The ITIA will provide a one-to-one education session as part of the player's reinstatement.

A protester set their arm alight on court after breaching Laver Cup security at London's O2 Arena on the day of Roger Federer's final tennis match.

The incident occurred after the first set of the singles contest between Team Europe's Stefanos Tsitsipas and Team World's Diego Schwartzman.

The person who dashed onto the indoor court was wearing a white T-shirt that carried the message, "END UK PRIVATE JETS".

Another item on the court was also ablaze by the time security reached the person.

The protester put out the flames on their right arm, while a tournament official quickly smothered the fire on the court.

The End UK Private Jets campaign group said on its Twitter page: "Kai, 20, set their arm on fire at #LaverCup. The liveable climate of our planet is collapsing. No one is taking it seriously. Is humanity not worth saving? Let's get into resistance against this death machine."

Swiss great Federer was due in action later in the day in doubles, teaming up with Rafael Nadal for the last match of his career, as they took on Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe.

Rafael Nadal is "definitely the next on the list" to retire as middle age catches up with the 'Big Three' of men's tennis, according to Marion Bartoli.

Former Wimbledon champion Bartoli expects Nadal to call it a day in 2023, following the lead of Roger Federer who has chosen the Laver Cup as his farewell tournament.

This weekend's showpiece in London is marking the end of the Swiss great's stellar career, after complications with a knee injury left the 41-year-old resigned to his fate.

Amid the attention on Federer, conversation is turning to how long his great rivals might have left at the top, with Nadal's ongoing foot trouble seemingly making him a prime candidate to step off the tour and give his body a rest.

Speaking to Stats Perform, Bartoli said: "I think he's very much definitely thinking about retirement. His wife is also about to give birth to his first child; that's a huge change in life for anybody.

"And he very much has his fair amount of injuries as well over the years, and especially lately with his foot which is really something that can stop him at any moment from now on.

"I think he will give it another chance at Roland Garros next year, but I don't see him going further than 2023. I think that would be probably about it. I think Rafa is closer to retirement than Novak.

"I think Novak has been able, with being vegan and taking care of his body and obviously because of COVID reasons, he hasn't played that much for the last three years really."

Nadal and Djokovic have inched ahead of Federer on the list of men's all-time grand slam singles champions. Federer was the first to reach 20, but Djokovic has 21 now and Nadal leads the way with a haul of 22 majors.

Bartoli, who was a shock Wimbledon winner in 2013, pointed out that Djokovic, who at 35 is a year younger than Nadal, could have several years left to push the slam record ever higher.

"He monitors those records so badly that I think he will be probably more looking to 2024, maybe 2025 [for his retirement]," Bartoli said of the Serbian. "I think Rafa is definitely the next one on the list."

Bartoli expects Djokovic to finish top of the pile in the men's game, providing he is allowed to compete at future editions of the Australian Open and US Open, having been barred from both in 2022 because of his refusal to accept a COVID-19 vaccination.

"From a tennis analytics point of view, and looking obviously at the strengths of Novak on hardcourts and at the Australian Open and at Wimbledon, it looks like he will end up at the top," said the Frenchwoman.

"But then the problem is about the vaccine, and this is something I just can't reply on. Because if he keeps on having only two chances out of four every single year, that's a totally different story.

"So there is that question mark on such an important thing. If he plays four out of four every single year, yes, I think he will finish on top of everybody. If he can play a full schedule because everything reopened normally then I sincerely think he's going to end up on the top."

Djokovic is hopeful he will be allowed into Australia in January of next year, having been deported from Melbourne at the beginning on this season amid high controversy.

There was previously considered to be a 'Big Four' at the peak of the men's game, but Andy Murray could not keep pace with the slam-winning feats of his rivals.

Bartoli said she remembered how "the whole country exploded" in Britain when Murray won in 2013 at Wimbledon, a first home champion in the men's singles for 77 years.

She was "so happy" Murray could carry on his career after undergoing hip surgery, having at one point planned to retire after Wimbledon in the 2019 season.

Now Bartoli suspects three-time slam champion Murray, 35, could last longer than Nadal on the ATP Tour.

"His fitness level has really improved, so I think he looks to retire for me further than Rafa," Bartoli said. "I think Rafa will be the first one, and probably Andy and then Novak."

Emma Raducanu raced into her first semi-final of 2022 by beating Magda Linette at the Korea Open, teeing up a meeting with top seed Jelena Ostapenko. 

Raducanu required just 77 minutes to see off the third seed for a 6-2 6-2 win, dominating from the outset to clinch her first final four spot in any tournament since last year's famous US Open triumph.

Having wrapped up the opener with a fierce backhand winner, Raducanu was forced to endure a brief revival from Linette in the second set, before the Pole was troubled by a thigh injury.

Linette lost 14 of the first 17 points on resumption after a medical time out, struggling with her movement as Raducanu saw out the match.

Raducanu has yet to drop a set during her run in Seoul, but will face a stern test in the semi-finals after Ostapenko overcame 17-year-old Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva 6-2 6-1, setting up a first career meeting between the duo.

On the other side of the draw, Ekaterina Alexandrova earned a hard-fought 7-5 7-6 (8-6) win over Lulu Radovcic, but fourth seed Zhu Lin crashed out to Tatjana Maria, losing 6-1 6-1.

In the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, meanwhile, Garbine Muguruza fell to a shock 6-4 6-2 quarter-final defeat to Liudmila Samsonova, handing the Russian her 16th win in her last 17 outings.

She will meet Zhang Shuai in the next round, after she became the first Chinese player to make the last four in Tokyo since 2009 by beating Petra Martic 7-5 6-2. 

In a battle between the competition's fourth and fifth seeds, meanwhile, Veronika Kudermetova rallied to beat Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (8-6) 6-1.

Top seed Daniel Evans eased into the San Diego Open quarter-finals with a straight-sets victory over Taro Daniel on Thursday.

The Briton, who was beaten by Marin Cilic last month in the US Open third round, triumphed 6-4 6-4 in one hour and 38 minutes over Daniel.

World number 25 Evans was not broken once despite Daniel generating four break points, while the Briton only had nine unforced errors for the match, hitting 19 winners.

Evans' return was excellent throughout, while he won 64 per cent on his second serve, which held him in good stead as he looks to claim a career-first ATP title after making August's Canadian Open semi-finals.

Evans will take on Frenchman Constant Lestienne who made light work of Chilean Alejandro Tabilo 6-1 6-3, converting five of eight break points.

Fifth seed Brandon Nakashima triumphed in the late game, getting past fellow American Denis Kudla 6-3 6-4 in one hour and 16 minutes, in a fine display that included 12 aces, 25 winners and only five unforced errors.

Fourth seed Pedro Martinez was the major casualty of the day, letting slip an early lead to lose 5-7 6-1 6-4 to Colombian Daniel Elahi Galan in almost three hours. Galan hit 44 winners compared to Martinez's 28, while he also generated 18 break points.

Eighth seed J.J. Wolf was also bundled out, losing 6-3 7-5 to Australian Christopher O'Connell who sent down 12 aces and hit 23 winners.

Second seed and world number 50 Jenson Brooksby needed almost two hours to get past countryman Mackenzie McDonald 6-4 3-6 6-2.

Daniil Medvedev succumbed to second-round defeat against Stan Wawrinka at the Moselle Open on Thursday, while Hubert Hurkacz coasted past Dominic Thiem.

World number four Medvedev fell to a 6-4 6-7 (7-9) 6-3 loss against three-time major winner Wawrinka, who will next meet Mikael Ymer after his straight-sets win over home favourite Gregoire Barrere.

Second seed Hurkacz did not experience such struggles against Thiem as the Pole cruised to a 6-3 6-4 as he served 12 aces in a dominant performance in Metz.

Hurkacz will face Arthur Rinderknech in the next round after the Frenchman battled to a 7-6 (13-11) 6-3 triumph over fifth seed Nikoloz Basilashvili.

Alexander Bublik, the seventh favourite in France, was also made to work for his progress to the quarter-finals, downing Emil Ruusuvuori 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 6-3.

Fourth seed Holger Rune awaits Bublik after Benjamin Bonzi retired due to injury when 6-4 4-1 down against the Dane.

Lorenzo Sonego coasted through his second-round clash to defeat Gilles Simon 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 to tee up a last-eight clash with Sebastian Korda.

Novak Djokovic does not regret missing out on the US Open due to his vaccination stance and is waiting to discover if he will be allowed to compete in the 2022 Australian Open.

The 21-time grand slam winner missed two of this year's four majors owing to his decision to not be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Though Djokovic was able to extend his record at Wimbledon, he lost joint control of the outright Open Era title for most men's single majors to Rafael Nadal, after the latter won in Australia and then at the French Open.

Carlos Alcaraz, meanwhile, won a maiden grand slam to become the new world number one with victory at Flushing Meadows earlier this month.

Djokovic was barred from entering the USA on vaccination grounds, but speaking ahead of this week's Laver Cup, the Serbian says he does not rue his choice.

"No, I don't have any regrets," he said. "I mean, I do feel sad that I wasn't able to play but that was a decision that I made, and I knew what the consequences would be. I accepted them and that's it."

Djokovic was quick to hail teenager Alcaraz, congratulating the Spaniard for his victory, and adding: "He did it in an incredible fashion. He's 19 years old and already the number one in the world.

"I think he's a great addition to our sport, a great star in the making. We can't speak about him as the future because he is already the present."

Djokovic's 2022 started in less than auspicious circumstances when, having been granted an exception to compete in Australia despite the nation's strict COVID-19 protocols, he was subsequently deported.

Questions over whether he would even be allowed back in the country remain up in the air, but the Serbian is hopeful of a reprieve.

"I'm waiting for the news," he added. "It's really not in my hands right now. So I'm hoping I can get some positive news soon."

Rafael Nadal is thrilled to have the chance to play alongside the retiring Roger Federer in the Laver Cup on Friday.

Swiss ace Federer will partner fellow all-timer Nadal in the doubles, the man from Basle bringing an end to an illustrious career in the company of his greatest rival.

The prospect of being a team-mate on court with Federer in London is something that will be "unforgettable" for Nadal.

"After all the amazing things that we shared together on and off the court, to be part of this historic moment, it's going to be something amazing and unforgettable for me," Nadal said in Thursday's press conference.

"I hope I can have a good time playing at a decent level and hopefully together we can create a good moment and maybe win a match.

"But I hope that the crowd will be supporting a lot. I'm super excited to be here with the team and of course to be on the court and having Roger next to me one more time will be something that I am very looking forward to.

"We were able to create an amazing rivalry together, and on the other hand, something that we are probably very proud [to have had], I have been a friendly rival which is not easy sometimes because we are playing for such important things for our tennis careers.

"But at the same time, we were able to understand that in the end personal relationships are more important than sometimes professional things, and we were able to handle it I think the proper way.

"Tomorrow it's going to be a special thing. I think it will be difficult to handle everything, especially for Roger, without a doubt, but for me too. One of the most important players, if not the most important player, in my tennis career is leaving and to leave at this moment will be difficult."

Federer is also looking forward to the match and partnering with Nadal, though he concedes it will be a difficult test as the Team Europe pair tackle Team World's Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock.

"Of course, it's super special playing with Rafa," Federer said.

"It feels really different. Also just walking out on the court and having the chance to play with the likes of Rafa or Novak also in the past has been an amazing experience for me.

"So, to be able to do that one more time, I'm sure it's going to be wonderful. I'll try my very best and I hope to be good out there. And of course, I'll enjoy it but it will be hard."

Roger Federer's final match of his tennis career will see him pair up with Rafael Nadal in doubles at the Laver Cup on Friday.

Swiss great Federer made clear in a press conference on Wednesday that the tie-up with Nadal was the one he wanted for his finale.

That made it practically inevitable they would be paired together, and it was confirmed on Thursday that Federer and Nadal would indeed join forces for Team Europe, to take on Team World's Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock.

Federer had said ahead of the announcement: "I think it could be quite a unique situation if it were to happen, for as long as we battled together, to having always this respect for one another, the families, our coaching teams. We always got along really well.

"For us as well to go through a career that we both have had and to come out on the other side and being able to have a nice relationship, I think is maybe a great message as well, to not just tennis but sports and maybe even beyond. For that reason I think it would be great."

By the time Nadal emerged as a teenage prodigy, Federer was already a grand slam champion, and their rivalry will go down as one of the greatest in tennis history.

They have met in nine grand slam finals, with Nadal winning six of those on his way to a career 24-16 winning record against Federer.

Federer, 41, is retiring after deciding the knee trouble that has plagued him in recent years will not allow him to extend his career any further. He will sign off with 20 slam singles titles, two behind Nadal, who has won the most of all men.

Federer is playing just one match at the Laver Cup, the tournament he was involved in setting up, with his big send-off coming in London, where he won eight Wimbledon titles.

This weekend's tournament is being staged at the O2 indoor venue, where Federer has previously twice won the ATP Finals.

He said of his farewell to tennis: "I'm happy to do it here in London. This city has been special to me. Maybe the most special place with Wimbledon down the road and here at the O2.

"[Having] played here and qualified for so many years and won here as well. I just thought it was very fitting."

Naomi Osaka's title defence at her home Pan Pacific Open event came to a premature end as she withdrew from her second-round match against Beatriz Haddad Maia.

The former world number one, who won the Tokyo tournament when it was last held in 2019, was unable to compete in Thursday's match due to illness.

"I am really sorry that I am not able to compete today," Osaka said. "It's an honour to be able to play at the Pan Pacific Open in front of the amazing fans here in Japan.

"This has and always will be a special tournament for me and I wish I could have stepped on court today, but my body won't let me."

Haddad Maia advanced on a walkover and will next face fourth seed Veronika Kudermetova, who defeated Mexican qualifier Fernanda Contreras Gomez 6-0 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals.

Liudmila Samsonova also progressed to the last eight, with a 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 win over Wang Xinyu continuing her good form.

However, sixth seed Karolina Pliskova exited the competition on Thursday at the hands of Petra Martic, who prevailed 6-3 6-4 and will face Zhang Shuai next.

At the Korea Open, top seed Jelena Ostapenko recovered from two games down in the deciding set to overcome Anastasia Gasanova 6-3 5-7 7-5.

Ostapenko remains on a possible semi-final collision course with Emma Raducanu, who came through 6-4 7-5 against Yanina Wickmayer, while Magda Linette saved two match points to beat Kristina Mladenovic 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-2.

Marcos Giron was the highest seed in action on Wednesday at the San Diego Open, and he had little trouble dispatching Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-4 6-3.

Giron, the third seed, was a force a from the baseline, collecting 18 winners in the first set, while Etcheverry could only muster six. While he was not as dominant in the second frame, Etcheverry helped him out with 14 unforced errors and five winners.

Giron will meet James Duckworth next after the Australian defeated America's Mitchell Krueger 6-3 7-6 (7-4).

Duckworth has now won six of his past eight matches, and he showed off his impressive serve against Krueger, winning the ace count 11-to-one.

Meanwhile, Mackenzie McDonald has earned a shot against his American compatriot and second seed Jenson Brooksby after hammering Switzerland's Henri Laaksonen 6-0 6-2.

McDonald was strong in all areas, but particularly in limiting his errors, finishing the match with no double faults and six unforced errors with 19 winners.

Rising Chilean talent Alejandro Tabilo used his powerful serve to overwhelm the similarly hard-serving Steve Johnson, winning 7-5 6-2.

Tabilo served 11 aces with no double faults, and won 80 per cent (41-of-51) of his total points on serve, while Johnson had three double faults with his seven aces and could only manage a 60 per cent (34-of-57) success rate on serve.

In an all-Australian matchup, Christopher O'Connell advanced past Jason Kubler after the latter was forced to retire due to injury with the match tied at 4-6 6-3 heading into the last set.

Stan Wawrinka will face Daniil Medvedev in the second round of the Moselle Open after beating Joao Sousa in straight sets.

Wawrinka came through two qualifying matches to take his place in the main draw before defeating Sousa 7-6 (7-1) 6-2 in Metz on Wednesday.

The three-time grand slam champion's victory was only his fourth in a main draw at tour-level this year following a 13-month absence due to a foot injury.

Wawrinka said after setting up a showdown with top seed Medvedev: "It's the first time I won three matches in the same tournament for more than two years, so it's great.

"I'm getting confidence from winning a few matches, so I'm feeling a bit more relaxed, the way I'm moving. I think the level was good from me, and I'm happy with the win."

Dominic Thiem also advanced at the indoor hard-court event, seeing off Richard Gasquet 6-3 7-6 (7-3). 

Sebastian Korda was the first man to seal a quarter-final spot, sending third seed Lorenzo Musetti packing with a 6-3 7-6 (8-6) victory in the last match of the day.

Meanwhile, Alexander Bublik, Gregoire Barrere and Benjamin Bonzi were the other first-round winners.