Roger Federer may miss 'farewell' Laver Cup

Tennis fans may be in for a huge disappointment after it has been revealed that Roger Federer may not be able to participate in the Laver Cup after all. The Swiss legend has arrived in London ahead of the event, but he may make a last-minute decision to pull out depending on his physical condition in the coming days leading up to the start of the event.

The Laver Cup is set to be played on September 23-25 at the O2 Arena in London. Thousands of fans scrambled to get tickets especially after Federer announced last week that it will be his final competitive outing before officially retiring from tennis.

The anticipation was very high, with fans eager to catch a final glimpse of the 20-time Grand Slam champion in action. The event organisers hyped things up even more on Sunday by sharing a photo of Federer arriving in London days ahead of the event.

However, his trainer Pierre Paganini revealed that Federer's participation still hangs in a balance. Speaking to Swiss publication Blick, he said: "He will probably decide that at the last moment."

Federer has not made a statement thus far, but Paganini claims that the 41-year-old had been planning his retirement since July. "When he started combining the different training elements, he has noticed that he has to make more and more detours and put in extra effort," Paganini said.

The trainer added that it was a "smart decision" for Federer to retire following years of injury trouble especially with his knee. He has undergone at least three knee surgeries in the past two years, and his lengthy career is clearly taking its toll on his body. "It's not just about the knee. Roger has played a lot of matches in his career and put his body under extreme strain," the trainer added.

Nevertheless, fans are hoping that this is only a false alarm. It will be a historical Laver Cup, especially with "Big Three" rivals Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal all playing for team Europe alongside Andy Murray, Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

They will be going up against Team World composed of Felix Auger-Aliassime, Jack Sock, Diego Schwartzmann, Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Alex De Minaur.