Tennis: Where’s the Laver Cup?

This year, the Laver Cup will have to make do without the dominant players of the last 20 years. Whether this competition will be able to have a glorious future could become clear in the next few days in Berlin.

There is one photo that will outlast the Laver Cup, no matter what happens to the continental tennis competition in the future. In 2022, Roger Federer ended his career in the competition he co-founded between Team Europe and Team World. After Federer had played his last match, a doubles match alongside his long-time rival and esteemed colleague Rafael Nadal, the Swiss looked up at the ceiling of London’s O2 Arena from the players’ bench. There, a collage with the highlights of Federer’s career was shown on the screen.

A career that was, as we know, very rich in highlights. But Federer didn’t just sit back and relax. What he saw affected him so much that he let his tears flow freely. Nadal, also with moist eyes, sat next to him. When Federer briefly took Nadal’s hand, photographer Ella Ling pressed the shutter button. An intimate moment had become a picture for tennis eternity.

Sinner, Djokovic and Nadal not present in Berlin

Now, two years later, and despite all the successes of the young duo Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, and despite Novak Djokovic’s continued golden autumn, the Laver Cup is suffering from a bit of a hangover. Whether a new heyday will begin after this will be decided in the next few days in Berlin. Alcaraz will compete, but Sinner and Novak Djokovic will stay away from the weekend despite all the financial incentives.

The biggest star of the weekend, Rafael Nadal, who many had assumed might end his career at the Laver Cup, was also lost to the organizers last week. Not only was this a loss for the spectators. The organizers would also have hoped for more radiance in the already packed tennis calendar.

Zverev: “Still something special for me”

Alexander Zverev, the host of this year’s Laver Cup, also renewed his criticism of the overly busy schedule: “We play eleven months a year, the schedule is extremely full, something has to change in the long term.” However, Zverev also emphasized the importance of the continent’s competition: “Nevertheless, the Laver Cup is still something special for me. Having the top players on your team, having teammates you would normally play against in the semi-finals or finals of Grand Slams, is something you only have in the Laver Cup.”

When this competition was founded, the plan was to play the Laver Cup in the Olympic years. But this idea was abandoned after the success of the first edition. So in 2021 the games were played after the Tokyo Games, just like this year after the Olympic summer in Paris. Many tennis players actually seem to be on their last legs. At the Davis Cup last week, he made himself an absolute top player. In Berlin, the world’s best players will be competing, including Sinner and Djokovic, who says he wants to concentrate primarily on the Grand Slams and international matches for Serbia from now on. Six players from the current top 10 in the world rankings will be there.

De Minaur and Paul are absent due to injuries

If you look at the other participants in this year’s event, you can see how much the year has taken its toll on the professionals: the two top players Alex de Minaur and Tommy Paul are missing from Team World due to injury. They have been replaced by the Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo and the Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis. They are good tennis players, but their participation will not convince any ticket buyers to dig deep into their pockets. With Ben Shelton and Carlos Alcaraz, two of the most charismatic players in the world are taking part. A new, exciting generation of players is also growing up. Holger Rune and Jack Draper, who were not nominated this year, have the potential to soon become dominant figures in tennis. However, it will probably be some time before they can carry an event like this.

McEnroe and Borg captain for the last time

So the team is also trying to rely on the big names on the sidelines. The captains of previous editions will be doing their job one last time this year. The dazzling John McEnroe on the side of Team World and the rather pale Björn Borg in previous editions. From next year they will be replaced by Andre Agassi and Yannick Noah. Two heroes of days gone by who are supposed to provide glamour and show.

Alexander Zverev is also one of the big names and drawcards in Berlin. Can he and his colleagues write new stories in Berlin in the next few days that are somewhat artificially created and even revive continental rivalries in golf through the Ryder Cup? Lots of close matches, a decision only on Sunday afternoon – that would certainly help to forget the somewhat heightened emotions after the 13:2 victory for Team World last year.

Tickets still available at reasonable prices

As in previous editions, the audience in Berlin is likely to come from all over the world. It will not matter so much if Alexander Zverev does not turn out to be the local drawcard that was expected. The local spectators are urgently needed to sell out the last seats. The prices in the lower tier in particular are more than pleasing. Mid-three-digit amounts have to be paid for each of the five sessions. At the moment, some of these tickets are still available.

So in the end, it might be Roger Federer who will have to pull it off. He has been in Berlin for the past few days. Even two years after the end of his career, the Swiss has the aura of an absolute superstar. It would not be surprising if he were to make an appearance in the Berlin Arena this weekend. Perhaps one or two of the next generation and the generation after that can learn a thing or two from Federer’s laid-back attitude. The future of the Laver Cup would be good, and the future of men’s tennis in particular.