Watch: Mirka Federer shares warm embrace with Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and others during Roger Federer's emotional farewell at Laver Cup
In a heartwarming moment during Roger Federer's farewell ceremony at the Laver Cup, his wife Mirka was seen walking up to each of Federer's Team Europe teammates, giving them hugs and thanking them for being there. Mirka herself was in tears after sharing an embrace with her husband and their kids on the court.
Among the players Rafael Nadal was the most emotional, especially since he played alongside his great rival and friend in his final career match. But the moment also seemingly got to Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.
In a video that has now surfaced on social media, Mirka can be seen hugging while also taking time to console Nadal.
Federer was in tears soon after the completion of his doubles match with Nadal, and he remained emotional throughout the farewell ceremony.
During his on-court speech the Swiss got the most teary-eyed when talking about Mirka, thanking her for her support throughout his career. Federer acknowledged that his wife could have asked him to stop playing many years ago, but she kept supporting his desire to prolong his career.
"Everybody is here. The girls, the boys. My wife has been so supportive. She could have stopped me a long, long time ago, but she didn't. She kept me going and allowed me to play so its amazing, thank you," Federer said.
Mirka herself was a professional tennis player earlier, and she even teamed up with Roger Federer during the 2002 Hopman Cup. However, a recurring injury cut short her tennis career later in 2002.
"She really didn't enjoy watching me anymore" - Roger Federer on his wife Mirka
Roger Federer also said that his injury-plagued last few seasons on the tour were harder for his wife Mirka than they were for him. The 41-year-old felt sorry for her during those moments, and admitted that Mirka was relieved that he decided to call it quits as he was struggling a lot with the knee injury.
"The last few years were hard for me, but I think they were even harder for her. She really didn't enjoy watching me anymore, with all the injuries. I felt kind of sorry for her," the Swiss player said, according to a tweet by Simon Graf, sports editor of Swiss daily Tages-Anzeiger.
"It's a great relief for her that it's over now," he added, according to an article in Tages-Anzeiger.
The 20-time Grand Slam singles champion will not return to the tour, but he stated that he would play some exhibition matches from time to time. While he will also not play a match in any future edition of the Laver Cup, he confirmed his participation in the tournament next year and beyond in 'a different capacity.'