Rod Laver thanks Roger Federer for honoring him by naming the Laver Cup after him and showing respect for his legacy 

Rod Laver spoke about how it feels to walk out in a tournament named after him.

Rod Laver thanks Roger Federer for honoring him by naming the Laver Cup after him and showing respect for his legacy 

Rod Laver with Roger Federer at Laver Cup (Image via Sky Sports)

Australian tennis great Rod Laver thanked Swiss tennis maestro Roger Federer who named the Laver Cup after him. As the sixth edition of the tournament concluded in Vancouver, Rod Laver was present at the Rogers Arena to witness the event live. In fact, the Australian was present on all three days and also flipped the coin for the matches. 

After Team World ended Day 2 on a high with eight points ahead of Team Europe and fans waited for Day 3 to begin, Rod Laver took to social media to get involved in a Q&A session with the fans. Among many questions including his favorite player on the tour from the younger lot, Laver also answered a query about how it feels to walk out in a tournament named after him.

YouTube video

As a user asked, “What’s the feeling like when you’re watching a tournament named after yourself, or you enter a stadium with your name on it?”, Laver gave a lovely reply wherein he thanked Federer for deciding to name the tournament after him. 

FS Video

“I’m honored that the Australian has my name on the center court. Roger Federer was instrumental in naming the Laver Cup after me. I’m honored he felt that way about my career,” said Rod Laver.

Also Read: Roger Federer becomes the reason for NBA great Dirk Nowitzki taking a funny dig at fellow Hall of Famer Steve Nash at the Laver Cup 2023

How did Laver Cup start?

Touted as the Tennis version of the Ryder Cup, the Laver Cup is a brainchild of Roger Federer and his agent, Tony Godsick. Named after the Australian maestro Rod Laver who is still the last man to win a Calendar Slam, the tournament first took place in 2019 with two teams taking part in it- Team World and Team Europe. As the names suggest, Team World features players outside of Europe.

Team Europe Laver Cup
Team Europe with Laver Cup title (Image via Radio Times)

Team Europe with the likes of Federer himself, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic asserted their dominance in the first four editions, winning the title on the trot. However, the tide seems to have turned with Team World winning two titles back to back. While they beat Team Europe 13-8 in 2022, the John McEnroe-led team beat the four-time champions 13-2 this year.

Now, with Federer retired and Rafael Nadal unlikely to take further part in the completion, only Novak Djokovic is expected to feature next year for Team Europe. Also, Carlos Alcaraz might feature in the lineup next year and Team Europe will bank on the Spaniard to reclaim the title next year.

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