SEPT 20 - 22, 2024 | BERLIN
Roger Federer is predicting a Team Europe victory after touching down in Berlin for the seventh edition of the Laver Cup.
“I think that Team Europe is very strong this year, it’s stacked,” said Federer in an interview on Tuesday, acknowledging that the men in blue have an advantage of playing at home.
“Altitude is low which is, in my mind, going to make the best players win,” he added. “I think we are – I always talk as we, because I’m Europe,” he chuckled, “in the singles matches, we are heavy favorites even though I know that Team World has great players right now that are red hot and playing super well, I still think most of the matches in singles are going to go Team Europe’s way and then the doubles, I feel like most are going to go Team World’s way.”
Federer said he was excited to see Alex Zverev play at Uber Arena in front of a German home crowd. “I think that’s going to be a great thing for him like it was for me when I played in Geneva in Switzerland,” said the Swiss legend, who represented Team Europe at four editions of Laver Cup, winning 18 points en route to his 8-4 win-loss record, and helped secure three of Team Europe’s four victories.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion said he’s looking forward to seeing a certain Spanish four-time major winner in action.
“I barely know Carlos Alcaraz so I’m really excited to see him play for the very first time,” said Federer. “I only practiced once with him at Wimbledon when he was still a junior, and then the next day, my coach said, ‘Do you want to warm up with him again?’ and I said, ‘No, it’s okay, I’d rather warm up with his coach, who was my generation, Juan Carlos Ferrero.’ I can apologize to Carlos this week,” he laughed.
Evolution of the Laver Cup
While Laver Cup runs like clockwork in 2024, it wasn’t always so seamless, Federer admitted.
“There was a lot of uncertainty at the very beginning when we started seven years ago,” he reflected. “Was everything going to go according to plan? Were people going to show up? Did they like the product? Were the players going to show up?” Federer said, repeating questions that ran through his mind before the first edition of Laver Cup in 2017.
“Being a player myself and also an organizer and trying to come up with a concept — it was quite the trip,” said the 43-year-old, who famously hatched the idea for the competition while in a car with his agent Tony Godsick while they commuted during the Shanghai Rolex Masters.
“It’s like a brotherhood getting together, paying tribute to the past generation, bringing in the new generation and then morphing it together Ryder Cup-style and coming up with a concept that would work throughout a weekend,” he explained, adding that he hopes players leave Laver Cup with memories, emotions and fresh motivation.
Treasured memories
As for his own memories at the event, Federer described sharing a bench with Bjorn Borg and a locker room with longtime rivals, including Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray during his retirement two years ago as “incredible.”
Over the years, seeing Rod Laver in the stands enjoying Laver Cup and realizing the impact of the event on the legend’s legacy, has been rewarding, Federer said.
The Swiss maestro expects this week in Berlin to be both nostalgic and bittersweet because it’s the last year Captains Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe will be shepherding their respective teams. “I want them to be really happy this week and not sad in any way … I’m sure it’s going to be a great week,” Federer said.
“I am always going to be grateful, always going to be thankful,” for Borg and McEnroe’s belief and participation, he said. “They were there when we needed them the most to start something special.
“I hope John and Bjorn will always come back as friends of the Laver Cup and as inaugural captains, and they should always be celebrated because they’re legends of our sport.”
Looking to the future
Federer, a father of four, said it’s been fantastic to see fan support and packed crowds as Laver Cup has traveled across the globe to new cities. The event will be held in San Francisco in 2025 before a European city hosts the 2026 edition.
In 2027, Federer said the tournament may have to cross the equator. “I think we have to go Asia, South America, keep it moving, not just Northern America,” he said.
Beyond the warm fan reception, competitors also look forward to the three-day competition, he said. “It’s been so, so positive. I see the players are always so happy to be coming together and having a completely different type of week than what they have throughout the year and also the camaraderie,” he said.
“We all like having team events more often than not — even though we’re such an individual sport, I think the players at heart, we are team players.”
Eyeing the iconic black court on which Thanasi Kokkinakis and Francisco Cerundolo were hitting, Federer – who described himself as a “big tennis nut” — appeared wistful.
“I just told the guys here this court looks so ready to be played on … I wish I was them,” he said, laughing. “I’m still playing some; I’ve actually played quite a bit especially since I launched the Wilson racquet, the RF 01,” Federer added.
“I’m really enjoying hitting. I play with my family, I play with my friends, and it’s been good fun.”
