The golden age of tennis didn’t end with a whimper. After Roger Federer walked off the court for the final time, at the 2022 Laver Cup, he broke into full-on sobs. Federer’s doubles partner at that event in London, his longtime rival Rafael Nadal, seemed to understand that he was staring down his own tennis mortality as well. After the match, the two players, their faces streaked with tears, touched hands as they sat side by side. It felt at once like a private moment between intimates and a com