Only a few hours are left for the sixth edition of the Laver Cup, as the stage is ready in Vancouver. Both the teams have announced the line-up, as the audience can expect a lot of action from day one. While few of the young stars rallied on the court, Roger Federer made his way to the court. Federer greeted the players as he had played with most of them. The event also holds a special place in his career.
Federer had played his last match at the event in 2022. He and Rafael Nadal teamed up and lost a thriller against Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock. Tiafoe was the first one to greet Federer on his return to court as the Swiss maestro jokingly asked him whether they were practicing or not. The American said, “Last time I was on this court, you had a lot of tears on this court.” Federer only played one doubles match last year.
Roger Federer & Frances Tiafoe share a nice moment at Laver Cup
Frances Tiafoe: “Last time I was on this court, you had a lot of tears on this court.”
Roger: “This bench, huh? Big time.” 🥹
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 20, 2023
The 2022 Laver Cup was an emotional one as Federer bid goodbye to the tour. Nadal, too, became emotional in the final moments of the event. Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray joined forces to complete the big four on the same team. This time, Federer will not be playing the matches, although he was seen practicing his backhand slice on the court. The event has brought legends and youngsters on the court together.
Roger Federer shares the meaning behind the Laver Cup
Federer, on his return to the Laver Cup, spoke about the formation of the Laver Cup. He had co-founded the event in 2017. Federer wanted an event where the top players of the world would come together and compete for a trophy. He, along with Team8 president and CEO Tony Godsick, named the event to honor the greats of the game, Rod Laver.
Federer also said that the event’s success had exceeded his expectations. He was happy that his fellow players joined him in the journey of making it more successful. The event saw the crowd seeing Federer pairing up with Nadal for the first time in their career. The pair have played against each other twice in doubles, and the crowd also got to see Djokovic pairing up with Federer.
The eight-time Wimbledon champion also said that he wished to be the captain of a team one day. Federer could be the mentor for the current generation of players. The crowd will be excited to see him cheer the team from the bench. Federer will now be present on the court for the next three days as four-time champion Team Europe will challenge defending champion Team World.