Roger Federer recently touched down in Vancouver, Canada, for business purposes at the 2023 Laver Cup. Apart from him, a depleted Team Europe will also sorely miss Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Only once have the Big 3 all played together for the European team. In an official interview though, Federer praised the duo for their positive impact on the Laver Cup that made it special.
The 2022 Laver Cup was the one and final time all three legends featured together. Last year’s tournament, though, is more remembered for being Federer’s professional tennis swansong. The tennis fraternity saw an emotional farewell as the Swiss legend could not hold his tears back. Djokovic, who recently said his relationship with Nadal soured post-2010, was also moved. The Laver Cup is a tournament that brings rivals together, but we may never see something as special as the 2022 edition.
Federer feels Nadal and Djokovic in one team elevated Laver Cup
The Laver Cup is a brainchild of Federer’s. He chose to play his farewell match at the 2022 Laver Cup, pairing up with Nadal for a doubles match. Djokovic was also part of Team Europe in an iconic moment for tennis, seeing the Big 3 together.
After arriving in Canada for the 2023 Laver Cup, Federer spoke about the tournament’s success. He admitted it exceeded his expectations and he loved seeing players from various countries come together as a team. He used his friendship with Nadal and Djokovic as an example, calling it ‘wonderful’ for the Laver Cup.
The 20-time Grand Slam winner believes that the most important aspect is how young players can gather information from their teammates and apply it to their own game. He said he hoped players have learnt something from legendary names like John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, and the ‘Big 3’ at the event. Federer was quoted as saying –
“Seeing the camaraderie, people from different countries coming together in a team, like me and Rafa or me and Novak, has been wonderful.
“What’s been, for me really important, is that the players go away with loads of information in their backpacks and they can apply it in their day-to-day practice, their day-to-day life on a tennis court and think back to the Laver Cup that they learned something from the likes of John McEnroe or Bjorn Borg, or speaking to Rafa or me or Novak or Laver.”
While Federer spoke of camaraderie, Djokovic recently said he could never be friends off-court with his rivals (via Marca). However, the respect and admiration the trio has for each other’s achievements is evident. This is why Djokovic had no issues being on the same team as Federer and Nadal.
Roger Federer encourages Toni Nadal-coached star for comeback
Federer also talked about Team World regular Felix Auger-Aliassime. He said he is a big fan of the Canadian and hoped that the 2023 Laver Cup is the ‘turnaround’ he needs. The 23-year-old is struggling with injuries and a slide in form, falling out of the top 10.
Aliassime has met with first-round exits in three Grand Slams this year. Fans have long implored him to remove Toni Nadal as coach, accusing the Spaniard of being more interested in nephew Rafael’s recovery and comeback. Auger-Aliassime desperately needs a good tournament, and Federer has tipped him to have one at the Laver Cup.
Auger-Aliassime will hope to have a good Laver Cup in front of his home crowd in Vancouver, Canada. Team World will see the World No.14 joined by four Americans, namely, Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, and Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo. A depleted Team Europe still looks good on paper. Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud, Hubert Hurkacz, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Arthur Fils and Gael Monfils comprise Team Europe.
