Roger Federer suffered doubles defeat alongside Rafael Nadal.

Roger Federer, playing alongside Rafael Nadal for the first time in his career, was beaten 6-4 3-6 10-6 by Jack Sock and Denis Shapovalov as Team World won the Laver Cup for the first time.

It was an emotional day for Federer, who played his last match on home soil in Switzerland, and he was given a standing ovation by the crowd after the match. “It was an amazing experience to play with Roger,” Nadal said. “He’s an unbelievable player and an even better person.”

Team Europe had won the previous three editions of the Laver Cup, but they were unable to make it four in a row as they lost the final day singles matches to hand Team World victory.

“It was very emotional,” Roger Federer said. “Walking out there, I felt the energy from the crowd, even though Rafa’s their favourite son. It was nice to hear them cheering for me, too.”

But Federer insisted he could not have asked for anything more from his career. “I had a great run,” he said. “I played some unbelievable tennis over the years. “I’m very happy and content with everything that happened. Of course, you always want more, but at the same time I can’t believe how well it went.”

Nadal was magnanimous in victory, paying tribute to Federer’s achievements. " Roger is one of the best players of all time,” he said. “It’s been an honour to play against him.”

The two great rivals will now turn their attentions to singles action, with Nadal taking on Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semi-finals and Federer facing Denis Shapovalov.

But this was a defeat that will hurt, not least because it came at the hands of two close friends and rivals. Nadal, who has now beaten Federer more times than any other player in history, with a record of 24-15, must have taken particular satisfaction from this victory.

The pair had played each other just once before in doubles, at the 2009 ATP World Tour Finals, and it was Nadal who prevailed then too. But this was a much more one-sided affair, with Federer and his partner, Stan Wawrinka, struggling to cope with the Spaniards’ superior firepower and court coverage.