SEPT 19 - 21, 2025 | SAN FRANCISCO
Take a deep dive into Laver Cup San Francisco 2025 to find out what’s happening between the white lines.
NBA Star Steph Curry Flips Coin with Federer
Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry walked out onto the Laver Cup floor with Roger Federer for the coin toss ahead of the Carlos Alcaraz vs. Taylor Fritz match. After the coin toss, the two met off court to take photos and chat golf—Federer discussed Bay Area golf courses and figuring out his swing—before exchanging gifts. Curry signed a giant bottle of his bourbon for Federer, while the tennis legend had a signed RF 01 tennis racket and book. He also gave Curry Team World and Team Europe jackets signed by the teams.
Rocket Club a Feast for Fans
The 650 guests per session experiencing the Rocket Club at Laver Cup San Francisco have a feast of San Francisco—and the world—at their grasp. One of the premier clubs of the event features an ever-changing range of cuisine while superstars such as John McEnroe, Stan Smith and Roger Federer stroll through. The expansive space features fresh-baked cookies from New York’s famed Levain Bakery—chefs were flown in for the event to keep the rotating flavors coming—exclusive DAOU wine tastings, a world-inspired menu of specialty cocktails from Fairmont, a pop-up cart from popular local Che Fico Gelato, an entire built-out Haribo Candy Shop, live sushi from Omakase Group, Niju Steakhouse from Michelin-starred chef Dustin Falcon, a Spanish tapas station featuring the dishes of London’s Cambio De Tercio with Abel Lusa and 13-time World
Pizza Championship-winning Tony Gemignani of San Francisco creating special pizza recipes.
Pat Rafter Discusses Tactics Based on Laver Cup Court Speed
Even Roger Federer admitted to Reilly Opelka that the Laver Cup court surface is too slow. Pat Rafter, Team World vice captain, couldn’t agree more. “This court doesn’t necessarily favor us,” he told Andy Roddick during a live edition of the Served podcast on Saturday. “You have to hit your shots perfectly. You have to hit the lines.” The slowness of the court, Rafter said, favored Team Europe across day one, especially in the event’s opening match pitting hard-serving Opelka against Team Europe’s Casper Ruud. The Australian joked that even though the current crop of players doesn’t know how to come in to
volley behind a slice, he was still encouraging net play. His wishes came true as fellow Australian Alex de Minaur won his opening match of Day 2 against Alexander Zverev. Rafter is also getting his first real introduction to 19-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca. “If he was my son, I’d be so bloody happy,” Rafter said, adding he thinks that in two years he will have turned into a new kind of player beyond what he is now.
San Francisco Mayor Serves in the Fan Zone
When San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie arrived to Laver Cup on Saturday he made a stop at the Laver Cup Serve Challenge by ServiceNow in the Fan Zone to try his hand at the speed and accuracy challenge. The mayor promptly took his suit jacket off and stepped up to hit a pair of serves, one over 80 miles per hour, and was just inches from hitting the target in the accuracy
challenge. “If you saw that,” Lurie joked, “you know I should stay in my current position.” Lurie then headed inside the Chase Center with Tony Godsick, Laver Cup chairman, to get a view of the black court. “We are thrilled, we are honored,” Lurie said, “to host people from around the world coming to Laver Cup.”
Laver Cup Trophy Busy All Weekend
To kick off each session of the Laver Cup, the event’s trophy sits bathed in a spotlight at center court in Chase Center. But the trophy does plenty more throughout the week. Robert Goodwin, self-described “chief trophy guy,” has been with the trophy for all eight Laver Cups, toting around the 14-kilogram trophy designed in the shape of a rocket to pay homage to Rod Laver’s famed nickname.
The trophy is all about Laver. It features 200 notches across the top representing Laver’s 200 wins and two rings of four on the bottom to celebrate his calendar grand slams in 1962 and 1969. The Laver Cup trophy, designed by Thomas Lyte, was crafted after melting down other trophies won by Laver. The trophy had quite the week before the tournament even began, visiting the Thursday gala in downtown San Francisco and making appearances at a variety of events, including the iconic photo near the Golden Gate Bridge on Wednesday.Goodwin says he doesn’t touch it with bare hands and most people only ever touch it if they win it. That’s why his white gloves are never far from reach.
