Laver Cup: Finally an edition that matters
The 2022 Laver Cup at London's O2 Arena saw something akin to continental combat for the first time in the competition's short history. And that probably had something to do with the farewell to Roger Federer .
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Sep 27, 2022, 02:44 pm
Opinions differed at Wimbledon 2022: Elena Rybakina and Novak Djokovic would have liked to have bagged the 2,000 points for the respective world rankings as winners of the third major of the year, but the fame of a Wimbledon title means that ATP or WTA counter bet. Others, such as Andrea Petkovic, noted at the start of the tournament that the mood in the dressing rooms was different because the hunt for points had been suspended due to the exclusion of the Russian and Belarusian players.
With that in mind, it should be noted once again that the Laver Cup appearances have no impact on the ATP charts. After all, the results are included in the official statistics, i.e. also in the head-to-heads. Nevertheless, the previous editions of the continental comparison, which was held for the first time in Prague in 2017, had more the flair of generously sponsored show fights. Perhaps also because Europe has so far always won. Sometimes brief, more often very clear.
Tsitsipas awards match points
It was different in London now. The Europeans, one got the impression, were very serious about it, after all they didn't want to mess up Roger Federer's farewell. However, the Maestro himself could have contributed a point, the chance alongside Rafael Nadal in doubles against Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe was there. Team World, on the other hand, suddenly sensed a few chances, also due to the fact that the two local heroes Andy Murray and Cameron Norrie proved to be beatable.
Still, the vest for Team Europe could have stayed white if Stefanos Tsitsipas had been able to convert one of his three match points against Frances Tiafoe. After that, however, Casper Ruud would have been in duty against Taylor Fritz. But - show fight or not - Tsitsipas will have to nibble on this defeat. For the Greek, things are not going well again in the fall, the negative highlight was the first-round loss against Daniel Elahi Galan in round one of the US Open. In London, the assembled team could talk to Tsitsipas as much as they could, but in the end he was the loser.
Federer and Roddick as new captains?
And the other side? Had her emotional leader in Jack Sock. And in Frances Tiafoe a man who, after a weak start, bit his way into the match against Tsitsipas, just as he did into his opponents at the US Open. The fact that Félix Auger-Aliassime set an exclamation point against (probably slightly injured) Novak Djokovic was something of a signal to catch up. Lending much-needed relevance to the entire competition.
The next edition will be held in Vancouver next year, Team World will be able to defend its title, perhaps for the last time under Captain John McEnroe. While Roger Federer is more or less ready to succeed Björn Borg in Europe, there are several candidates for McEnroe's legacy. First and foremost probably Andy Roddick. But also someone like Lleyton Hewitt. The mere fact that these speculations could be quite interesting shows that the Laver Cup has gained in relevance. Finally.