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There is no longer any doubt that the Laver Cup is a successful experiment. The event conceived by Roger Federer and his manager Tony Godsick has now reached its fourth edition (currently being held in Boston), enjoying enormous success despite the absence of the Big 3.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal played very little in 2021 due to their respective injuries, while Novak Djokovic is making up for the dire disappointment he suffered at the US Open. Just one step away from the Grand Slam, the world number 1 succumbed under the shots of an amazing Daniil Medvedev, failing to match Rod Laver.
In the event of a triumph in New York, the 34-year-old from Belgrade would have overtaken eternal rivals Roger and Rafa and hoisted himself to 21 Majors. The Laver Cup, like the Ryder Cup in golf, allows players to compete on the same team, unlike the rest of the year.
In a long interview with CNBC, Godsick revealed a few more details about the origins of the Laver Cup.
The Laver Cup proves to be a success
Godsik explained: "As Roger Federer has repeatedly said, we wanted to do something to honor Rod Laver and all the players of his time, who sacrificed part of their careers to facilitate the transition from amateur to professional sport." The latter revealed that all tickets for the 2021 edition have been sold.
He said: "We thought it would be intriguing to watch rivals become teammates for a weekend. The draft of the project was done on a piece of paper, but we realized almost immediately that the format worked. This is our fourth sold-out and people have shown that they love the Laver Cup since its first edition in Prague.
Tennis players gather together, team up and have fun all together. These guys are used to fighting fiercely against each other for the rest of the year, so it was a good move to give them the opportunity to experience a unique weekend." Roger Federer could come back to the court at the beginning of the next season, in what could likely be his last tennis year as a professional player. Also Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic could come back for the start of 2022.