Named in honor of the legendary Rod ‘Rocket’ Laver, the Laver Cup features a high-stakes 10-point tiebreak for the third set — a format so central to the competition it’s come to be known as the Laver Breaker.
Inspired by that spirit, our new Insider-exclusive series serves up 10 rapid-fire questions with special guests. First to take the challenge? None other than Rod himself.
- Team World or Team Europe? As an Australian I would have played for Team World, but I have great admiration for the talent in Team Europe. It’s always a joy for me to meet the players from both sides and see how much they want to win.
- Favorite city to have hosted the Laver Cup? They’ve all been wonderful and each so different. London 2022 is high on the list because of the milestones, with the Big Four attending, Roger Federer retiring and Team World getting their first win. It was also a difficult time with Queen Elizabeth passing away, but it turned out to be an incredible and uplifting tournament.
- Who would you have liked to partner with today in the Laver Cup? It’s hard to go past Carlos Alcaraz in Team Europe. He covers the court so well and he has such a great variety of shots. I’d love to partner with Ben Shelton from Team World, a fellow leftie with an amazing serve and competitive spirit. When he sees an opening, he goes for it.
- Who would have been your partner back in the ‘60s and ‘70s? Roy Emerson. We won Wimbledon together in ‘71 and the Aussie Open in 1969. Everybody loved Emmo – as a person and as a player. He was the life of the party and a fellow Queenslander. He would have been a champion player in any era and remains a great friend.
- Who will be the next male player to win the calendar Grand Slam? Carlos Alcaraz is the most likely to do it. He has the versatility, with five majors on three surfaces already and it’s only a matter of time before he gets the Australian Open. Putting all four together in one year is a massive task. It’s hard to conquer every surface and maintain focus in different conditions, but if Carlos can stay fit, he has a great shot.
- Who was your greatest rival?Ken Rosewall – we had so many battles, and yet we are still close friends. I was better in the overall head-to-head, but this doesn’t account for the amateur years. Ken was one of my first heroes and he got better as he got older. When you played Ken, all bets were off!
- Which player outside of your era would you have liked to play? I played John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg a few times at the end of my career, but I would have liked to have played them in the Grand Slams.
- Who is your pick to win the Laver Cup in San Francisco? That’s a tough one. I can’t wait to see how Andre Agassi goes as Team World’s new Captain. I think Andre will be a great motivator, as was McEnroe before him. And on rankings, it is great to see the players in Team World are getting better and better. Yannick Noah will also have a phenomenal side in Team Europe, how well his players gel together is key. With a home crowd advantage and doubles playing a crucial role, I’m leaning towards Team World at the moment.
- What’s the secret to winning a tiebreaker? It helps having a big serve! It’s the same as winning a match – win the first point, and the next and the next. Don’t look back. If you do fall behind, put it behind you and focus on the next point. As I’ve said before, pressure is pressure. It comes with the territory. You’ve got to embrace it.
- You’re a living legend, who have been your heroes growing up, either in tennis or in other fields? Many people have inspired me. My parents and Harry Hopman played a big role in my development when I was coming up. I also watched many games of my tennis idols Jack Kramer, Pancho Gonzales and Lew Hoad. In my playing days, it was a thrill seeing Hollywood icons such as John Wayne watching me at the US Open.
