John McEnroe believes absence of Big-4 is a real test for the Laver Cup making his opinion clear on the competition

John McEnroe hopes that the Laver Cup stays on the calendar.

John McEnroe believes absence of Big-4 is a real test for the Laver Cup making his opinion clear on the competition

The Big Four of tennis (via Imago)

For the first time since the inception of the event, none of the Big Four members- Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray will be participating in the Laver Cup this year. Team World coach John McEnroe believes that the absence of the big stars is a clear test for the three-day event.

The Laver Cup is being held in Vancouver, Canada this weekend, with Team Europe fielding a completely depleted side. John McEnroe stated that this event means a lot to him, which has been made special by the presence of Rod Laver and Roger Federer. He was excited to be back for the Laver Cup this year, as Team World enters the event as the reigning champions for the first time.

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“It’s amazing that we finally managed to win last year. I think everyone who followed this event knows that I love it and I know what it means to me, the idolization of Rod Laver, the presence of Roger Federer and the team spirit that I always liked it, like in the Davis Cup. It’s great to be back,” said McEnroe.

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John McEnroe believes the absence of Laver Cup would be a real shame

John McEnroe believes that this year is a real test for the Laver Cup, given the absence of several stars. However, he hopes to see the event on the calendar as usual in the coming years. The American tennis legend claims it would be a real shame to see the Laver Cup being removed from the calendar.

John McEnroe (Source : Twitter)
John McEnroe (Source : Twitter)

“I think it’s a big test for the Laver Cup, a great opportunity because we don’t have these all-time legends with us (the Big 4), but you could have future Grand Slam winners everywhere . I think this is where, hopefully, tennis will realize what a gift it has been given by having Rod Laver and Roger Federer in a team event like this. I think it would be a shame if this event was no longer on the calendar,” said McEnroe.

The Laver Cup has already come under early criticism this year, because of the low ticket prices, and lack of big players. Roger Federer is in attendance at the event, despite announcing his retirement last year. Team World has already gotten a head start, winning all four matches on Day One, with Ben Shelton, Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe all taking to the court.

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