After the conclusion of Wimbledon, it will be revealed if four of the biggest names in men’s tennis will play alongside each other later this year.
The Laver Cup competition will get underway in September at The O2 Arena in London. It is a three-day event that features players from Europe taking on those from the rest of the world. An idea based on golf’s prestigious Ryder Cup. Named after tennis icon Rod Laver, Roger Federer’s Team8 company is one of its co-founders.
So far it has been confirmed that Federer will make his return in what will be his first event since Wimbledon 2021 after undergoing knee surgery. Rafael Nadal will also play and on Wednesday morning Andy Murray became the latest addition. But what about the missing piece in the Big Four jigsaw?
Novak Djokovic has confirmed that talks regarding his potential participation in the event are ongoing. Speaking to reporters following his win over Thanasi Kokkinakis on Wednesday, the former world No.1 said that a decision will be made soon.
“It would be very unique,” he said of a potential reunion with his biggest rivals. “It is a possibility. My agent has communication with the Laver Cup team. We have an agreement that there will be a decision after Wimbledon is finished.”
Djokovic has only played in the team event once before which was back in 2018 when he played doubles with Federer and a singles match but he lost both of those.
“ Laver Cup is the only competition where you can have all the big rivals, the big three, big four players joining in the same team,” Djokovic commented.
“It is a very different and exciting concept for us players, but also for the fans around the world. The O2 Arena is a familiar venue for me and for us players. We’ve been playing more than 10 years the World Tour Finals in that arena.’
“I think the tradition here in Britain for tennis has contributed to a very successful event over the course of more than 10 years. So, of course, it would be a pleasure to play there again.”
Support for jailed Becker
At this year’s Wimbledon Djokovic’s players’ box features the usual mixture of his team and family. During his first and second round matches, Boris Becker’s girlfriend Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro and his eldest son Noah were also present. Becker has been jailed for two-and-a-half years after being found guilty of hiding more than $2M of assets from authorities.
“I haven’t been communicating directly to him, but I’ve been communicating to him through them. I was really glad to have hosted his girlfriend and his son, Noah, to my first round and now today’s second-round match.” Djokovic said of his contact with Becker.
“ I’ve just been trying to give support to people around him, his closest people, his family members, because I consider Boris really a family member, someone that I greatly appreciate, respect, and care about.”
Becker was a prominent member of Djokovic’s team for three years between 2013-2016. During their time together the Serbian won six of his 20 Grand Slam titles.
“We’ve been through a lot together during those three years of collaboration. Our relationship dates back even before that. Of course, after we finished our professional relationship, we always stayed close, him with my team, with my agents, with my family.” Djokovic continued.
“It breaks my heart to see what’s happening to him. I can only imagine how hard it is for his family members. So, of course, this is a little gesture of friendship to invite them.”
At Wimbledon Djokovic has now won 81 main draw matches. He will play Miomir Kecmanović in the third round Miomir Kecmanović
