Roger Federer was a shining star at the 2024 Laver Cup even though he never hit a ball in anger and now he has picked out the two players he would like to see in Team Europe for next year’s competition in Berlin.
Team World clinched a one-sided competition as their star turns Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe won a doubles match against Hubert Hurkacz and Andrey Rublev, sealing a 13-2 win in a match that lacked the drama of previous Laver Cup contests.
Federer’s presence and on-court interview was a highlight of the weekend, but there were some suggestions that the Laver Cup may struggle to maintain its place in tennis without players of his ilk taking part.
With Team Europe lacking star names like Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas, captain Bjorn Borg has a tough task to field a competitive team against a strong Team World side led by captain John McEnroe.
There may now be some questions over what comes next for the Laver Cup after a one-side contest in Vancouver, with Federer certain to play a central role in what comes next.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion has been a key figure in the organisation of the Laver Cup over the first six editions of the event and he confirmed how much the event meant to him as he opted to bring down the curtain on his career at the 2022 edition in London last September.
Speaking after Team World’s dominant win in Vancouver, Federer admitted Team Europe need more of their star names to shine and he suggested he wants to see Djokovic and Alcaraz play on the same team in Berlin next year.
“I think we will have a much better team as Team Europe and I think the energy will come back to our side,” Federer told Eurosport.
“I would like to see Novak coming back into the team and Alcaraz. To have Alcaraz and Novak on the same team, I’d love to see that.
“Sasha Zvereva has been such a big supporter of the Laver Cup so hopefully he can play in Germany.
“Tsitsipas and Rune will be big players for Team Europe if they play and hopefully someone else breaks through and gets a chance to be a pick for for Bjorn Borg.”
Federer went on to admit he misses elements of tennis since his retirement, even though he is enjoying a different pace of life with his wife and four children.
“Secretly, I miss it,” he continued. “I miss seeing the happy faces of people that hopefully I was able to entertain.
“I guess you like to be the centre of attention at times, but on the other hand, it doesn’t matter that I’m not any more.
“It’s good with the way my life is right now. The Tour was good to me. I loved every moment, but I am happy with my life now.”
Federer also defended the event in Vancouver, as he insisted the fans who packed the stands enjoyed the three days of competition.
“I thought it was a success,” he added. “A lot of people came, it was pretty much a sell-out.
“A great stadium, an unbelievable city and no hiccups along the way. I thought it was perfect.
“It’s great to be back and in the tennis family again.
“I watched every match, I was very busy around the event and it has been a lot of fun.
“Now I can’t want to bring tennis back to Germany. We had big events there in the past and I’m looking forward to going there.”
The Laver Cup needs an injection of inspiration after an uninspiring few days in Canada and the return of Europe’s big hitters on German soil a year from now could be the tonic it requires.
