Farewell to the captains: Laver Cup pays tribute to Borg and McEnroe

When the first Laver Cup was staged in 2017, the iconic figures of rivals-turned-friends Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe were one of the most eye-catching aspects of the brand-new team competition.

“To be able to look on the other side and see my greatest rival and great friend, Bjorn Borg, and have my brother as my right-hand man, it's pretty hard to top that for me personally,” shared McEnroe in Berlin.

Read more: Borg vs. McEnroe: The battle of rivals who became friends

The seven tournaments since have provided countless highlights featuring the two legends of tennis, ending with the most dramatic of comeback wins for Team Europe on Sunday and a fifth triumph for Borg. For the players competing on the court, the Laver Cup has been a chance to get up close and personal with two of their idols.

“Pretty surreal”

“Legend” is the word that comes up repeatedly when players from both Team Europe and Team World describe their captains. For Laver Cup debutants Flavio Cobolli (Europe) and Alejandro Tabilo (World) it’s been an opportunity to learn from the very best.

“Having just a little bit of contact with Borg for me means a lot,” smiled Cabolli. “I was born with him and John playing only on YouTube, so I want to say thanks for everything, you know.”

Tabilo agreed: “Yeah, it’s pretty surreal to have a legend like McEnroe giving us tips and everything, it's nice. Obviously I’m going to try and use that, hopefully for the whole year, rest of the year. for the rest of my career.”

Other players are a little more used to that contact, having played multiple times in the Laver Cup. But everyone remembers the nerves of their first encounter with the legends well.

“I think the first time I played on the team, I didn't know Bjorn very well, so I was quite nervous to play kind of for him and meet him,” admitted Casper Ruud.

“He's a super nice guy and we've had built a good relationship - me being Norwegian, him Swedish, it's pretty close and it's just been really fun. My first Cup was really memorable for me because I played the first match of the tie and all the team and him was there cheering me on, so that was a big moment for me.”

“A very special thing”

For Taylor Fritz, just being around McEnroe has been an incredible experience.

“It's been amazing just being able to have him, like, on the bench, on the court. He's just such a legend,” he said.

“To be in his presence and have him as our captain. I’ve just tried to soak up the knowledge and everything he said.”

The support offered from the bench is also something that sticks in the mind of the Laver Cup’s most successful player, Alexander Zverev.

“Borg is an absolute legend. I think generally speaking, having him on our bench and supporting our team for the last seven years has been very, very special,” he said.

“We only know him from YouTube videos and films, more or less our generation, but just hearing his stories and what the tennis life used to be like is a very special thing.”

And it’s the special nature of that bond that will be missed.

“Saying goodbye to that is not an easy one,” admitted Stefanos Tsitsipas.

“Of course, with every goodbye, there's probably a new fresh start with new people and new ambition, but, you know, I'm gonna miss them a lot.”

Looking to the future

Borg and McEnroe’s time in charge may be over, but the future for the Laver Cup is bright. In Yannick Noah and Andre Agassi, Team Europe and Team World have two new captains to create new memories. And for Laver Cup Chairman Tony Godsick, the tournament has a significant role to play in the sport of tennis going forward.

“With this event, the platform literally is players are sitting on the bench with the Borgs and the McEnroes. They have Rod Laver here as well. This year we obviously had Boris Becker and Michael Stich and Steffi Graf. These players don't get a chance to see them maybe ever again,” he explained.

“The Laver Cup will provide a meeting place each and every year for these types of players, which I think is important for the history, for the optics, for content. People want to see these interactions. So hopefully we're bringing a little of that to the Tennis Channel.”