'It Was Always Going To Be Hard, Especially With My Retirement': Federer On Weak Laver Cup Field

| by Evita Mueller

Roger Federer is in Vancouver for the 2023 Laver Cup and addressed the elephant in the room at this year's competition - the weaker field.

When Roger Federer envisioned the Laver Cup, he saw it as a competition that was supposed to gather all the best players in the world to play in teams. It's a unique format, and with team events being so rare in tennis, it was a great excuse to combine the likes of himself, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal on the same side of the net.

It worked really well for the first few years, but this year, we've seen a relatively weak field compared to previous years, with some late withdrawals making it even worse. It didn't escape the fans either, who aren't that enthusiastic about this year. Speaking to TSN, Federer acknowledged that concern.

It was always going to be hard, especially with my retirement. Rafa being injured, Novak taking a break, I understood that, obviously, completely. Murray maybe not coming back again, it's understandable. Look it is what it is, I still think it's going to be a great weekend.

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The schedule for the event generally isn't the best. Coming so close to the US Open when players just want to rest up and get ready for the upcoming Asian swing isn't ideal, but he's confident that the players will deliver a great show.

The greatest players are still here. Obviously everybody was asked to play and we want all the best to play, but it wasn't possible with schedules and all that stuff. I was a tough guy as well when it came to scheduling. I was very rigorous about which tournaments I could play.

Last year's edition was an iconic one for obvious reasons and it will be very hard to top but we'll see in a few days.

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