"Rivals become teammates" - Federer on beauty of Laver Cup
ATP
Roger Federer has outlined his pride in helping to shape the Laver Cup and said it's a great chance to showcase tennis rivalries and the new generation vs the old.
Roger Federer is a co-founder of the Laver Cup and he helped to create the unique tennis competition in 2017. The Swiss 20-time Grand Slam champion worked alongside partners Jorge Paulo Lemann, and Tennis Australia to create an event similar to golf's Ryder Cup in a team format of Team Europe vs Team World.
Each year, the Laver Cup attracts some of the world's best ATP players and high-profile captains, former players Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, lead each team.
Although the event is an exhibition as it doesn't award points, top players like Rafael Nadal, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Nick Kyrgios have participated in recent Laver Cups.
The Laver Cup will come to London in 2022, and traditionally, Roger Federer is on the entry list. However, the Swiss player may not compete this season as his struggles with injury continue.
Federer has not played in a competitive match since Wimbledon 2021, when he was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Hubert Hurkacz. In a recent interview, the Swiss Maestro spoke about what is so special about the tournament.
The eight-time Wimbledon winner feels the competition offers something special, such as re-igniting old rivalries, such as Bjorn vs. McEnroe, and allowing older and younger players to face off in a fun yet entertaining environment.
"3 days, 5 sessions. The past, the present and the future playing against each other but also being at the same team. That idea of rivals become teammates says it very nicely."
"Then you add some special touches to it, the blackboard, the atmosphere, that's also one of the reasons why players want to be part of it."
Not only does the Laver Cup have a different format from ATP tennis matches and competitions, but it also offers fans a more relaxed environment compared to the high-pressure events on Tour.
In addition, Federer explained that he wanted the competition to reach new audiences where tennis isn't so well-renowned. As a result, previous Laver Cups have taken place in Chicago, Prague, and Geneva, and spreading tennis around the world is an achievement Federer is proud of.
"The idea was initially to bring it to place that doesn't see so much tennis and I think we were able to do that in Prague. You really could feel the rivalry building. In Geneva 2019 was incredible for me, I really never thought that one day we'll be playing in Switzerland."
Latest Comments
- Kyrgios will do anything to stay in the news.shirley19-12-2024
- A technical error.
MrMustard18-12-2024 - All that is said , all that is done. Nick has 0 grand slams wins. Everything else is hot 🥵 air.MrMustard18-12-2024
- All that is said , all that isMrMustard18-12-2024
- Kyrgios is a jerk.shirley17-12-2024
- If Jessica Pegula had to undergo such horror for using a bannes substance, so do these two tennis players. Penalty should apply to all players regardless of their excuses. They are professionals and know better!!
Stella112-12-2024 - All players should be treated the same for taking banned substances, if your no 1 in the world or no 300 man or woman you should not be allowed to keep playing,,VPH108-12-2024
- Ah, censored again. No one gets to read my comment. LOLjjluvsports08-12-2024
- Reynolds, could you list all the wars started by the U.S. and U.K., or will you run out of paper? Hypocrisy.jjluvsports06-12-2024
- IDK, it looks like to me that Raducanu should praise herself and her team for 'gaming the system' as in playing the points and ranking game. When you look at her season of wild cards, skipping tournaments (including the Paris Olympics!), retiring from losing matches and avoiding qualifying rounds, it seems like there was some plan to move up the ranks without actually playing a lot of tennis. And it worked! Congrats!RealityCheckers04-12-2024