Federer and Nadal to team up in the first-ever Laver Cup
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In a Ryder Cup-style tournament, which will see two teams – Team Europe and Team Rest of the World – compete against each other, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will join forces. Bjorn Borg will captain the European team, while American legend John McEnroe will lead the Rest of the World team.
The tournament is slated to start next year and is named after Australian great Rod Laver. TEAM8, the management company founded by Roger Federer, created the concept to honor Laver and add a bit more spice to the tennis
“You’re going to have Europe playing as a team against the rest of the world. I think that has to be a new feeling for all the top players around the world,” Laver said, reported Fox Business.
The inaugural Laver Cup will be played at the O2 Arena in Prague between Sept. 22-24, 2017. The future editions of this tournament will be played across major cities of the world.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have already signed up to play for the European team, which could also feature World No.1 Novak Djokovic and Olympic champion Andy Murray. Argentine Juan Martin del Potro and Canadian Milos Raonic are likely to lead the Rest of the World team. Each team will have six players in its squad—two of who will be named by the captains, while the remaining slots will be filled up based on ATP rankings.
Roger Federer has applauded the concept in a press conference and has expressed his excitement at teaming up with his long-time rival Rafa.
“I see this as a no-brainer. Why not spend an interesting, cool, fun weekend with all the best players in the world?
“I think it’s going to be absolutely unbelievable to be on the same side of the net as Rafa—finally,” Federer said, reported Fox Business.
