Federer, Djokovic Lead Heavily Favored European Team Laver Cup This Weekend

by Staff | September 21st, 2018, 11:03 am
  • 39 Comments

The second installment of the Laver Cup gets underway Friday in Chicago. In this “Europe v The World” format, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic lead the European team.

Juan Martin del Potro was the World headliner but he withdrew. That leaves the World with just three players in the Top 15 – Kevin Anderson, John Isner and Diego Schwartzman against a much stronger European team with five players in the Top 11!

Bjorn Borg captains Europe, John McEnroe is at the helm of the World.


“We have four of the six core guys from last year,” said McEnroe. “I think together we work really well, so we’re excited. But we’re hopeful that the crowd is as involved or more than they were last year.”

Added Borg, “I believe it’s going to be a great match. Team World has a good team too, so it’s going to be a close match and very exciting tennis. We are here to try to defend our Cup. It’s going to be difficult, but I think we have a good chance.”

Friday opens with Frances Tiafoe taking on Grigor Dimitrov who is 1-0 against the American.

“It’s going to be fun. I’m pretty excited for it, playing Grigor again,” said Tiafoe who opened the 2017 Laver Cup as well.

The night ends with star attractions Federer and Djokovic teaming in doubles in their partnership debut.

“We have had so many great battles in all the singles courts, and to finally team up together I think is going to be very special for both of us,” said Federer. 

”I think we still have to talk over it a little bit exactly maybe either who’s going to take the lead or, you know, how do we play exactly.”

Kyrgios, who will not be in action today, talked about the losing at the very end last year.

“Last year was heartbreaking,” he said. “I don’t normally shed tears, but as soon as I lost last year it was the first thing that happened, so I’m going to do everything I can.

“If someone needs me to be out there picking up balls while they’re practicing, I’m going to be doing that. I’ll do everything for the team this week, it’s not hard for me at all.”

Each day there will be four matches – 3 singles, 1 doubles. Each match win will be worth one point on Friday, two points on Saturday, and three points on Sunday. The first team to reach 13 points will win the Laver Cup.

Sets are best of 3 with a 10 point match tiebreak for the third.

Last year, Europe won 15-9 on the heels of Federer beating Kyrgios 11-9 in the match tiebreak to win it. Federer’s agent, Tony Godsick, is the event’s CEO.

Tennis Channel in the USA will have live coverage all weekend.

LAVER CUP FRIDAY SCHEDULE
DAY SESSION 1PM
MATCH: 1
G.DIMITROV VS F.TIAFOE
MATCH: 2
K.EDMUND VS J.SOCK

NIGHT SESSION 7PM
MATCH: 3
D.GOFFIN VS D.SCHWARTZMAN
MATCH: 4
N.DJOKOVIC/R.FEDERER VS K.ANDERSON/J.SOCK

LAVER CUP TEAMS
TEAM EUROPE
Captain: Bjorn Borg
[2] Roger Federer
[3] Novak Djokovic
[5] Alexander Zverev
[7] Grigor Dimitrov
[11] David Goffin
[16] Kyle Edmund
Alt [41] Jeremy Chardy

TEAM WORLD
Captain: John McEnroe
[9] Kevin Anderson
[10] John Isner
[14] Diego Schwartzman
[17] Jack Sock
[27] Nick Kyrgios
[40] Frances Tiafoe
Alt [46] Nicolas Jarry


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39 Comments for Federer, Djokovic Lead Heavily Favored European Team Laver Cup This Weekend

lylenubbins Says:

I live in the Chicago area. This is a cool event but super expensive. If you want to be anywhere near the players you are at $250. In contrast I went to Cincinnati and for about 1/3 the price I saw about 5 times more tennis, much closer to the players.


skeezer Says:

^Try pricing Wimby tickets! Ugh.


Giles Says:

$250? Much too expensive for a bit of bs imo!


Madmax Says:

Novak Djokovic paid a glowing tribute to 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer ahead of the second edition of the Laver Cup which starts on Friday in Chicago.

Djokovic, who has been in red-hot form winning both Wimbledon and US Open this summer, is excited about playing doubles with Federer at the United Center.

The Serb will be making his debut at the event and he introduced Federer on to the stage by saying: “I’m the player I am today because of him [Federer].”

https://www.skysports.com/tennis/news/12110/11504434/novak-djokovic-says-roger-federer-made-him-the-player-he-is-today

I’m loving the bromance tonight.


jatin Says:

Its incredible to see Fed and Novak warming up together for their doubles match.
Gonna be epic, Really excited.


Daniel Says:

Greta match so far, all 4 serving big. Djoko and Fed totally tuned.


Humble Rafa Says:

I can’t believe some people are complaining about cost.

If the Arrogant One is playing, you need to sell your kids, wife, belonging, soul, whatever you have and go. Your life will be enriched.


Wog Boy Says:

“If the Arrogant One is playing, you need to sell your kids, wife, belonging, soul, whatever you have and go. Your life will be enriched.”

Agree, particularly if he is the primary owner of the Laver Cup through his TEAM8 company.

I checked on YT Dimitrov match, what an ugly color of the court, more suitable for the gravediggers competition, creepy.

Good on Delpo for pulling out, I hope this is Nole’s first and last time to play this exhibition.


Giles Says:

Sooo Fedole not as good as Fedal. #Dubs


J-Kath Says:

Andy Murray will be playing in 2 China tournaments starting 24 Sept. and will re-start in 2019.

https://www.tennis365.com/atp-tour/andy-murray-to-end-his-2018-season-early-after-positive-few-months/


skeezer Says:

Fed/Nole combo was good for show, but not for competition. Nole is not a good doubles olayer.


skeezer Says:

Fed/Nole combo was good for show, but not for competition. Nole is not a good doubles player.


skeezer Says:

@Giles,
Your Yolita is mocking, but she is watching :)
Like WB ;)


Giles Says:

^^ She sure is. Lol


Daniel Says:

Fed and Djoko, possibly 2 of the greatest players of all time, talking to each other and exchanging tactics during a match is priceless, net have this opportunity again. Anyone who doesn’t appreciate this moment is not a fan of the sport.


Andy Mira Says:

Daniel….Very agree!I love this connection like Fedal too…but i gotta say..feels a little bit weird too…i mean,i once saw the pic when Fed walking ‘awkwardly & quietly’ beside Novak who at that time hugging his wife in the tunnel after he won Wimby….

But,as a tennis & peace lover..like i said really really love this interaction between these 2 greats!…If Team Europe win,i don’t mind to see Novak jump onto Fed & hugging him like Rafa did last year!Hehe…


chris ford1 Says:

I don’t think the goal of sport is to make friends with your rival to make competition “acceptably nice”. And in competitive business, hard fought sports and armed warfare – the main thing is somehow in recent times to like your foe or at least feel sorry for them.
It is a variant of political correctness and free expression shutdown at work where the last thing people are supposed to do is say they want to not only defeat but demoralize a business or sports rival or exult that you cut a convoy of Isis terrorists to ribbons with a 20mm cannon and killed two dozen baddies. PC and the corporate suits that want noncontroversial vanilla athletes are wrong – tennis should have some rivalries with true antipathy going, for the fans and health of the sport.

But with Djokovic and Federer, two basically nice people and awesome athletes, knowing that in both their long careers they have only opposed one another, never played on the same side, it is fine by me to see some sincere detente. Much like Rafa and Novak found at the early peak of their rivalry back in 2013. Rafa had the crown, Novak took it in 2011, 2012, and Rafa took it back in 2013 in brutal gladiator battle. Then they went on an exo tour of Chile and Argentina and found they had fun socializing.


Humble Rafa Says:

https://twitter.com/yolitatennis/status/1043256583134703616?s=21
ROFL

You know what the height of arrogance is?

Mansplaining to a man.


Giles Says:

Soo Anderson beat joker. A bit of a shock, no? Who knows, Anderson might turn out to be joker’s nemesis going forward.


Daniel Says:

Team Europe needs 2 victories and World 3.

First match Double Fed / Zverev vs Isner / Sock (who is on fire on doubles) probably go ten Wolrd. So this will make the singles more entertaining. Fed favorite to win against Isner and Zverev may well lose to Anderson (had so save MP yes Isner).So it can end with a blockbuster Djoko vs Kyrgios and Djoko needing to win after his 2 losses. Hope this scenario holds true.


Daniel Says:

So far my prediction held true. All doubles loss by Europe and Fed beating Isner. Ismer unable to close 2 matches losing in thord set super breaker.

If Zverev wins next match Europe holds title. If he loses. Djoko x Kyrgios prime finale


Madmax Says:

Yay! Fed and Novak’s team, won! Whooo hoooo. Am loving the bromance, the fraternity, come and join in Wogby and pick ya miserable jaw up off the floor. Doused in sorrow sauce and the like, really no need. You don’t need to sell your soul for tennis Wogboy, You just need to find your passion and then go for it! Or drink your sorrows in the homemade beer.

Well done to all!


Truth Says:

Roger Federer recently said he may play on clay again, but Andy Roddick suggested him not do it. Roddick believes that not playing on that surface could benefit Federer’s body in order to play longer.

‘I’m going to go human shield on this one. He should never play on clay again. It’s really hard on the body. He shouldn’t. Go ahead, say no now’, Roddick said. In June Federer had first said that he would have probably decided after this year’s US Open if playing on clay in 2019 or not, now he postponed the decision until the end of the year.

Federer got a great presentation from Andy Roddick during the event they held on Monday in Austin. ‘We’ve all made mistakes. The man I’m about to introduce is not one of those people. It would be really hard for me to like someone as much as I do who ruined my life for a decade’, said Roddick. https://www.tennisworldusa.org/tennis/news/Roger_Federer/60708/-roger-federer-should-never-play-on-clay-again–andy-roddick/

This Texas clown is an embarrassment to sports, in general.


Giles Says:

“ The Tokyo goal, it’s not really in my mind”. Lol. Really?


Van Persie Says:

Giles,

I really believe him. His days in ATP might be numbered.


Daniel Says:

Anyone knows if Djoko decided or not about Beijing?: If so, the news has to be out today as draw released tomorrow.


Giles Says:

VP. Maybe so but he definitely wants that Gold Medal. It’s his last chance. Good luck fed.


Van Persie Says:

Good decision by Nole to skip Beijing. He is not the Nole from 2015 who was able to win toutnament after tournament, even if tired. More important for him to be rested for the big tourneys.
I am pretty sure, when he accepted to participate at Laver Cup, he did not expect to be in the position , to fight for Nr. 1 ar the end of this season.


Van Persie Says:

The good news for Rafa: he has not so many points to defent at Paris Bercy and WTF.
Should Nole win Shanghai or making it to the final, then we will have a very balanced battle for Nr. 1.
But did read that Rafa is not very sure he will play Bercy and London.


Madmax Says:

30th September:

Federer’s FIRST EVER Title!

‘Fresh off a fantastic summer that saw him win the Wimbledon junior title and finish runner-up at the US Open juniors (to David Nalbandian), a 17-year-old Federer battled through qualifying to get into the main draw of the ATP tour event in Toulouse, France in late September. He would then beat Guillaume Raoux in the first round, 6-2, 6-2, for the first ATP tour-level win of his career’.

http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2018/09/today-20th-anniversary-roger-federers-first-atp-tour-win/77257/

Cannot believe that Federer is still winning titles, well yeah…… I guess I can somehow.

That win over the now-retired Frenchman came on Sep. 30, 1998, exactly 20 years ago.


Giles Says:

Yaaaaaaawn!


Wog Boy Says:

“Federer’s FIRST EVER Title!”

You should’ve gone to Specsavers.

Even I, with my limited English, can read and understand the meaning of “..for the first ATP tour-level win of his career’. He had to wait another 3 years (2001) for the first ATP title, it’s really embarrassing that the high ranking cult member doesn’t know basic things of their cult leader, the cult punishment will be severe.

Your male version, can happen to you too if you don’t go to Specsavers immediately:

https://youtu.be/VELQ39QAYP4


Wog Boy Says:

^^^^
I would hate to be Ramsay if it was you sitting in that kitchen bench with a carrot up your bum, that would be lifetime punishment (nightmare) for Ramsay or any other firsthand witness, definitely would require serious counseling.


skeezer Says:

^^^^^
And you whine about being moderated here. Another fine example.


Wog Boy Says:

^^^
Don’t worry, Ramsay’s Kitchen has more than one carrot, relax.

BTW, I never complained about being moderated, I accepted it, your reading comprehension skills are failing you, go and check my post, my words to the letter were “fair enough”, I’v Never question it nor asked why, and you just proved my point, who is crying baby and dobber, asking Sean to moderate or ban the people you don’t like. There is a track record of the Cult enforcer doing it.

Besides, I have a manners, that lady from UK kept calling me time and time again in her posts as of lately, so my nice manners told me that it’s time to answer her call, you don’t keep women waiting, that’s not nice manners ….or to tell you in more simple way, since your comprehension skills are failing you, she asked for it. I don’t take any sh$t, never did, I just wait for the right moment.

If you and that lady are interested in my garden (she was), my Olive Millman tree is doing really well grew up more than half a meter but cockatoos and magpies buggered my oranges, fig tree and pepper plants, well, sometimes you win sometimes you lose, such is life.
Cheers from Downunder;)


Wog Boy Says:

Good friend of mine, Kevin Bloody Wilson, has a message for you and friend from UK, btw, he is just about to start his tour in UK, tickets are still avaliable, hurry up UK people, listen to his message to my “friends”:

https://youtu.be/7a6EOyaMdqY

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