The Laver Cup is unthinkable without Roger Federer. The 20-time TBS champion was at the helm of the organization of this half-exhibition tournament (because it has no ranking points), half-official (because it is part of the ATP calendar). In 2022, Federer ended his career after playing the Laver Cup; everyone involved was in tears. Roger will no longer take to the court as an active player, but will continue to serve as an ambassador for the event.
Before the start of the next edition of the Laver Cup, Federer spoke to reporters at a press conference and answered a number of questions. The Swiss maestro has no doubt that the title will go to the European team, which won the first four Laver Cups, after which it lost twice in a row. The European team will have three representatives from the top five in the world rankings, which will face the team from the rest of the world: Alexander Zverev (2), Carlos Alcaraz (3) and Daniil Medvedev (5). And the world team has only one representative from the top 10 – American Taylor Fritz (7).
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“This year’s European team is very strong and well equipped. The altitude is low (this year the tournament will be held in Berlin. – Note from the “Championship”), which, in my opinion, will allow the best players to win. I think that we (I always say “we” because I am from Europe) are clear favorites in singles matches. I know that the world team now has excellent players who play very well. But I still think that the European team will win most of the singles matches. But in doubles, I feel that the world team will win most of the matches,” Federer said.
Roger said he was looking forward to meeting Carlos Alcaraz. Due to the huge age difference (22 years!), Federer and Alcaraz did not play a single official match against each other. And there was only one joint training session. Recalling it, the Swiss told a funny story. “I barely know Carlos Alcaraz, so I am very curious to see him play for the first time. I only trained with him once at Wimbledon, when I was still a junior, and the next day my coach said to me: “Do you want to warm up a little bit more with him?” I replied: “No, it’s okay, I prefer to warm up with his coach, a player of my generation, Juan Carlos Ferrero.” This week I can apologize to Carlos,” Roger laughed.
Roger Federer at the 2024 Laver Cup
Photo: Maja Hitij/Getty Images
According to Federer, the ongoing Laver Cup will be special for Alexander Zverev as it will be held at his home stadium in Berlin. Interestingly, Zverev and Federer are the players with the most titles in the history of the tournament. Alexander has won it four times and Roger three times. “I think it will be a great event for him, just like it was for me when I played in Geneva, Switzerland,” Federer said.
The Laver Cup, by the way, changes its name periodically. In addition to Geneva, as Roger mentioned, the tournament was held in Prague, Chicago, Boston, London and Vancouver. In 2025, the best tennis players from Europe and the world will meet in San Francisco, and in 2026 they will return to Europe – the city is yet to be determined. And this is just the beginning of geographical expansion! “I think we should go to Asia, to South America, keep moving, not just to North America,” says Federer.
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These are not the only changes awaiting the tournament. For the seven years, the permanent team captains have been the legendary Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, leading the European team and the World team respectively. However, from 2025 they will be replaced by Yannick Noah and Andre Agassi. “I want this week to be really happy and not sad at all… I am sure it will be a wonderful week. I will always be grateful to them, always. I hope that John and Bjorn will always come back as Friends of the Laver Cup and first captains and they should always be celebrated because they are legends of our sport,” Roger admitted.
John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg at the 2023 Laver Cup
Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
At another press conference, Federer was asked to name the winner of the next Grand Slam tournament, namely the Australian Open – 2025. According to the Maestro, it is difficult to say anything definite about Rafael Nadal’s chances and the main contenders for victory are Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. “We don’t know about Rafa, that remains to be seen. It’s difficult for me to make predictions about Rafa because he hasn’t played much tennis this year. Novak, having won the Olympics and having played, let’s say, a full season, did not leave due to injuries.
“He decided to play less, which is normal when you get a bit older. I feel that he has a chance in the future. I am looking forward to Australia, where the next Grand Slam tournament will be held. I think he will definitely be one of the favourites, along with Sinner and Alcaraz,” says Roger.
In conclusion, Federer gave an important piece of advice to Zverev, who has reached the TBS final twice but has yet to reach the major title. “I see a player who plays too passively, too defensively in the most important moments. I think he has to remind himself not to be too passive. And then I think he can achieve something really great,” he said.
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