Roger Federer retires; Kohli, Warner pays farewell

London: Tennis legend Roger Federer rested his racket, from professional courts, on Friday after a doubles game along with long-time rival Rafael Nadal at the Laver's Cup. Though the duo faced defeat, what grabbed the centre stage was both becoming emotional on Federer's retirement, and a picture of the same went viral, NDTV reported.

Indian cricketer Virat Kohli took to Twitter, posting the picture and saying, "Who thought rivals can feel like this towards each other. That's the beauty of sport. This is the most beautiful sporting picture ever for me. When your companions cry for you, you know why you've been able to do with your god given talent. Nothing but respect for these 2."

Australian cricketer David Warner was another celebrity who reacted to the picture. He wrote on Instagram that he loved the Tennis duo's rivalry and respect as well.

Federer and Nadal lost to Team World's Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock 4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 11-9 at London's O2 arena.

The 41-year-old Swiss legend Federer played 40 matches against Spaniard Nadal, though the former trailed 16-24. Against Serbian player Novak Djokovic, he trails 23-27.

He had unforgettable encounters with Nadal and Djokovic, particularly the Wimbledon finals in 2008 and 2019, both lasting more than four hours.

Federer has eight Wimbledon titles, five US Opens, one French Open and six Australian Opens. He, along with Nadal and Djokovic, the 'Big Three' dominated the sport for years, NDTV reported.

Roger Federer had the most success in 2006, with 12 singles titles and a match record of 92-5. He also managed to reach the finals of 16 of the 17 tournaments that year.