Laver Cup wasn’t created to compete with Davis Cup: Federer - UBITENNIS

Laver Cup wasn’t created to compete with Davis Cup: Federer

By Pawan Atri
2 Min Read

Former World No. 1 Roger Federer has hit back at the critics of the Laver Cup, insisting the tournament wasn’t a replacing the famed Davis Cup from the sport’s calendar.

Speaking to Vogue magazine, the reigning Australian Open champion emphasized that the real reason behind the creation of the Laver Cup was to honor the legendary Rod Laver. Surely, undermining the significance of the Davis Cup was never his goal.

Federer said: “The Laver Cup was not created to compete with the Davis Cup. I sometimes laugh when I hear this, as this was never in any way the intention. We wanted to establish an event that honored Rod Laver and created a platform where rivals can become teammates—one that would enhance the sport now and in the future. Tennis needs to constantly innovate if we are going to continue to compete with other sports around the world.”

The Swiss great also revealed what made Wimbledon his favourite tournament. The 20-time Grand Slam champion claimed that he fell in love with SW19 during his childhood when he saw his heroes, Pete Sampras, Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker winning the tournament on multiple occasions.

“Wimbledon has been my favorite tournament, as my heroes played and won there: Pete Sampras won Wimbledon seven times, Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker three times each. Playing on grass is also a unique and incredibly exciting experience, and when I won there for the first time as a junior in 1998, I fell in love with the history of the place, the fans, and the green and purple colors of the club—there is so much class at Wimbledon, so much charm and history. It really struck a chord in me. I don’t play for the records as much as I play because I love stepping foot on the famed Centre Court and challenging myself to try to get better.”

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