Roger Federer has admitted that he was not looking forward to speaking in front of the Laver Cup crowd after his farewell match on Friday.

After he and friend and rival Rafael Nadal lost to Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe of Team World, all attention in the O2 Arena quickly turned towards the 20-time Slam champion.

Of course fans wanted to here form the great man just as his retirement officially began, but Federer revealed he was worried he would not be able to hold himself together emotionally.

“Well, this is the part I was extremely worried about, is taking the microphone,” he told press after the match in the early hours of Saturday morning.

“All I told Tony (Godsick, his agent) was I want to be able to have an evening where I do not have to take the mic.

“Maybe you think it’s logical that I have to take the mic. In my mind I don’t, just because I know how impossible I am on the mic when I am emotional, because I had it many times before.”

Emotions flooded from Federer, his family and players from both teams after match point, most notably Nadal, the player he has shared so much with over their careers.

Still, the 41-year-old made sure to remember that the moment was a special and happy one.

“I was able to remind myself always on the court again how wonderful this is,” he explained. “This is not the end-end, you know, life goes on.

“I’m healthy, I’m happy, everything’s great, and this is just a moment in time, you know. This is obviously supposed to be like this.

“Weeks ago, for a fact, I was so scared of this moment that it really worried me.”