He will not be among the protagonists who will battle on the court, but Roger Federer was the most anticipated man in Berlin, where the 7th edition of the Laver Cup will be played from tomorrow – an event of which he is one of the founders – which will be played until Sunday 22 September.
Yesterday, Roger, in addition to having trained on the court that from Friday will see the challenges between players from Europe and the Rest of the World, talked about many topics, including the prospects of the event that also intends to explore new territories beyond Europe and North America and also about the future of Novak Djokovic.
In addition to telling a very funny anecdote that concerns him and that also concerns Carlos Alcaraz, the journalists asked Federer how he sees the future and the end of the career of the Serbian champion.
Roger pointed out that Nole this year, even if he didn’t win a Slam, still won the much-dreamed-of gold medal at the Olympics.
“Nole, winning the Olympics and playing, let’s say, a whole season, beyond the well-known Roland Garros situation, has not withdrawn from tournaments due to injuries, he has just chosen to play less, which is normal when you get older. I think that in 2025 he has the opportunity to move forward. I can’t wait for Australia in January, which is the next Grand Slam tournament. I think Djokovic will be one of the favorites along with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. It will also be very interesting for this reason to follow the Australian Open,” Roger analyzed.
The Laver Cup, despite being basically just an unofficial event, has been able to bring together the best tennis players in the world, who have the opportunity, at least for one week a year, to share the locker room and the playing courts, to the delight of the fans who will be on the court to admire their exploits.
Bjorn Borg, who has been part of this project since day zero, putting his experience and charisma at the service of Team Europe, is one of the pillars of the event. This will be for him, as for John McEnroe, the last mandate of seven, before retiring and being replaced by Yannick Noah and Andre Agassi. The Swede, interviewed by Tennis Magazine, recounted some unforgettable moments for him experienced during the past events.
“Both John and I have done a great job, or at least I think so, and I speak for him too. I can’t imagine a better successor than my good friend Noah for this job, he is a great champion and a better person. Nadal? He has a wonderful personality, he is one of my favorite players, I have been watching him for many years in many matches, it was a pleasure to have him for several years in TeamEurope in this Laver Cup. I remember that at the time many said that no one would beat my record at Roland Garros, but for me it was always clear that records must be broken, that’s sport. We will never see a player as good on clay again,” he said.
Borg talked about perhaps the most iconic moment of recent years, the emotional embrace between Nadal and Roger Federer on the day of the Swiss’ farewell.
“We all knew Roger would end his career, but I was very surprised that Rafa cried so much next to him. At that moment I thought: will Rafa play again? Seeing him cry shows how much Roger meant to him, the two of them shared some amazing matches, they gave us incredible tennis. Rafa was sad to say goodbye to a friend and rival who is leaving the tour, and you could see how Rafa was doing. I feel sorry for both of us because we lose a great rivalry, but it was still a great moment to see, very emotional for me too,” he analyzed.
“It was the best seven years for me, the Laver Cup has always been the most important week of the year for me. I had the opportunity to spend time with the best players in the world, enjoying a great competition where everyone wanted to win. It was a fantastic time, so I am very proud and happy to have been the captain of this team,” added Borg, on the last year he lived as Team Europe Captain.
