Laver Cup Preview: Roger Federer takes final bow amid team spectacle

WATCH: Roger Federer's pre-Laver Cup press conference; Purchase tickets for Laver Cup at Ticketsmarter

From the moment this year’s Laver Cup lineup was announced, the event had the feel of a summing up. The four best male players of the century—Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray—were all scheduled to play for Team Europe. All four are 35 or older, and with the exception of Djokovic, all four had begun, at the very least, to entertain the prospect of retirement. Murray had even tried it once.

Now Federer has made it official: This will be his last professional competition. The focus, naturally, has shifted to him. Federer began this golden era for men’s tennis with his first Grand Slam win, at Wimbledon in 2003. It makes sense that he’ll end his career in the same city, at an event that he helped create, and that may be his most tangible legacy to the sport. For the last three years, Federer had been a superstar story without an ending. He’ll get a proper one at the 02, one where he, his friends, his fellow players, and his fans can be themselves, and say good-bye however they like.

It makes even more sense that, assuming their bodies cooperate, Federer will play his last match with Nadal as his doubles partner. Together, these two changed tennis not just with their games, but with their friendship. Before them, top male duos of the Open era—McEnroe-Connors, Becker-Lendl, Sampras-Agassi—were typically antagonists rather than buddies. Roger and Rafa decided there was room at the top for both of them, and the sport has been stronger for it.

Laver Cup was also the site of one of the best-known Fedal collaborations, the (sometimes-profane) pep talk they gave fellow Team Europe member Alexander Zverev in Geneva in 2019. Barring any surprise appearances later in the weekend, Federer and Nadal will take the stage for the last time when they face Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe during the night session on Friday.

All of that said, there will be a lot more to this three-day exhibition than this single match. What else should we watching for?

I’m happy to see Djokovic will be part of Federer’s farewell. The Swiss and the Serb weren’t close friends, but their 50-match rivalry was among the best in tennis history, and a huge part of this era. While Djokovic won’t be the focus here, this will be a chance to see him play, something that has been fairly difficult to do in 2022.

Then there’s the competition itself, which is usually entertaining even when the score isn’t close. This year will offer something of a generation clash. Team Europe is led by the four 30-somethings, along with Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Team World’s youthful headliners include Frances Tiafoe, Félix Auger-Aliassime, Taylor Fritz, Alex De Minaur, and, as an alternate, Tommy Paul.

Laver Cup is as much about charisma as it is skill; we’ll see how the Team Worlders measure up in that department, and whether they can garner any crowd support in London. Tiafoe, of course, is most likely to succeed in that department, and should be featured heavily. He and Jack Sock will take on Federer and Nadal on Friday night.

Team Europe has won all four of the previous Laver Cups. Last year in Boston it was a 14-1 rout. This one should— hopefully, maybe—be closer. Federer and Nadal won’t be favored to beat Tiafoe and Sock, and Murray is probably the underdog in his Friday night singles match against De Minaur. At the same time, Djokovic will be tough to beat, and Team Europe’s old-timers do have some youthful backup in Ruud and Tsitsipas.

Laver Cup is never strictly about the scoreboard, and this edition will be even less so. A Roger Federer, and a Big 4, only come around once. If their era has to end, this is a fine and fitting way to send it off and give it the tribute it deserves.