On Friday, Roger Federer, the 20-time Grand Slam singles champion, is about to play one remaining time on the ATP Tour, throughout the Laver Cup in London.
He received’t be enjoying singles. As a substitute, he might be enjoying doubles, partnered with Rafael Nadal, his longtime on-court rival and buddy.
The Laver Cup pits six European gamers in opposition to six gamers from the remainder of the world. The competitors, which is usually in comparison with the team-based Ryder Cup golf event, is an opportunity to see gamers who normally play alone come collectively.
Federer and Nadal might be enjoying in opposition to two Individuals, Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock.
Federer helped create the Laver Cup and make it a tour occasion, although on Friday the competitors as a complete will take one thing of a again seat to the chance for followers to get one final glimpse at Federer, who has not performed since final 12 months’s Wimbledon. The stage is bound to supply a number of memorable moments.
Right here are some things to know concerning the match:
What channel is broadcasting the match?
In america, The Tennis Channel will air the Laver Cup. In Canada, it is going to be on TVA Sports activities. ESPN will broadcast the event in lots of Latin American and Central American international locations. Eurosport will air the matches in Europe besides in France, the place viewers will get the competitors by way of beIN Sports activities. Federer will take the court docket throughout the evening session in London on Friday.
Roger Federer’s Farewell to Skilled Tennis
The Swiss tennis participant leaves the sport with one of many biggest aggressive data in historical past.
- An Appraisal: “He has, figuratively and actually, re-embodied males’s tennis, and for the primary time in years, the sport’s future is unpredictable,” the writer David Foster Wallace wrote of Roger Federer in 2006.
- A Poignant Ship-Off: Wimbledon could have been extra becoming. However the Laver Cup, which Federer helped create, will provide a smart remaining act for one of many biggest gamers of this period.
- A Billion-Greenback Model: Some tennis superstars have constructed sponsorship empires. However none ever wooed the company class as brilliantly as Federer did.
- Tennis After Federer: The Swiss participant, together with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, helped outline a remarkably sturdy interval in males’s tennis historical past. Following behind is a brand new technology of hungry gamers, able to muscle their manner into the breach.
Who’s enjoying?
There are 12 gamers competing within the Laver Cup. Three gamers from every crew qualify primarily based on their ATP singles rankings on the Monday after the French Open.
Three different gamers are chosen to every crew as “captain’s picks.” John McEnroe is the captain for Staff World, and Bjorn Borg captains Staff Europe.
Staff World
This 12 months, Staff World might be represented by Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada, Diego Schwartzman of Argentina, Alex de Minaur of Australia, and the Individuals Taylor Fritz, Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe. Tommy Paul of america is an alternate for Staff World, and Patrick McEnroe, John’s brother, is the crew’s vice captain.
Staff Europe
Between them, the gamers representing Staff Europe maintain greater than 60 Grand Slam titles. They’re Novak Djokovic of Serbia, Nadal of Spain, Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece, Federer of Switzerland, Casper Ruud of Norway and Andy Murray of Britain. Matteo Berrettini of Italy is Staff Europe’s alternate, and Thomas Enqvist of Sweden, a former participant who peaked within the prime 5, is the crew’s vice captain.
What’s the format?
The Laver Cup is a mix of singles and doubles matches over three days. The matches are two units, and if the match is tied at one set every, a winner is decided utilizing a 10-point tiebreaker — the primary to 10 factors whereas successful by two takes the match.
Every participant performs in at the least one singles match on the primary two days of the competitors, and no participant can play a singles match greater than twice over the course of the event. A minimum of 4 of the six gamers on a crew play doubles.
Federer was granted an exception to permit him to play as soon as in doubles.
How did the Laver Cup begin?
Federer has a particular relationship the Laver Cup; it was created by TEAM8, the company that represents him.
Tony Godsick, Federer’s agent, mentioned that Federer wished to do one thing particular to honor Rod Laver, the Australian tennis star who received 11 Grand Slam singles titles, together with the calendar-year Grand Slam (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles multi functional 12 months) in 1962 and 1969.
The place is it?
This 12 months’s Laver Cup might be in London on the O2 Area, an indoor venue that may host up 20,000 individuals. The competitors rotates between cities in Europe and the remainder of the world yearly.
Final 12 months, the event was performed at TD Backyard, house of the Boston Celtics of the N.B.A. and Bruins of the N.H.L. Subsequent 12 months’s Laver Cup is about to be held in Vancouver at Rogers Area, which hosts the Canucks, and the competitors will transfer to Berlin in 2024 on the Mercedes-Benz Area.
How do you win the Laver Cup?
The primary crew to achieve 13 factors wins the Laver Cup. On the primary day of the competitors, a match win is price one level. On Day 2, a match win is price two factors, and on Day 3 every match is price three factors.
If the groups are tied at 12 factors every, they’ll play one remaining match on Sunday for the title.