The 42-year-old Swiss star says he still likes being in the tennis sphere
\nVANCOUVER
\nRetired tennis legend Roger Federer, who helped Europe win three Laver Cups, hinted he might one day want to take on the captaincy at the team event.
\nThe 42-year-old Swiss star will be the subject of a tribute Friday at Rogers Arena to celebrate the first anniversary of his final match in doubles alongside Rafael Nadal at the 2022 Laver Cup in London.
\nThe World Team, with John McEnroe as captain, will try to defend the trophy it first captured last year when the sixth Laver Cup begins Friday at Rogers Arena.
\n\u201cThere\u2019s something in me that\u2019s Team Europe,\u201d Federer said. \u201cI\u2019m happy if World wins, don\u2019t get me wrong, but somehow, I can feel it deep inside — I want Europe to win.
\n\u201cI like being in the tennis sphere. Maybe one day, I\u2019ll be the captain of the team. There\u2019s no plans as of now, but I think that could be quite nice.\u201d
\nBjorn Borg serves as Team Europe captain as a new generation of talent replaces Federer, Nadal and Serbia\u2019s Novak Djokovic.
\n\u201cSeeing the camaraderie, people from different countries coming together in a team, like me and Rafa or me and Novak, has been wonderful,\u201d Federer said.
\n\u201cSeeing the fun and the joy that Borg and McEnroe have brought to the teams but also how much they enjoy their roles has been great.\u201d
\nSeeing rare doubles duos is a big part of the event for Federer.
\n\u201cI get very excited about Laver Cup doubles, because there are usually teams that we haven\u2019t seen,\u201d Federer said. \u201cI just like superstar combinations.\u201d
\nAn American-dominated lineup will try to defend the trophy for the World squad.
\nAmericans Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe and Canada\u2019s Felix Auger-Aliassime return from last year\u2019s global squad, which rallied to beat Europe in London after losing the first four editions of the indoor hardcourt event.
\n\u201cWinning last year meant a lot to us, even more so because we lost so many times,\u201d Tiafoe said.
\nEighth-ranked Fritz, number 11 Tiafoe and 14th-ranked Auger-Aliassime are joined by Argentina\u2019s Francisco Cerundolo, Ben Shelton, the youngest on the team at 20, and fellow American Tommy Paul, the eldest of captain John McEnroe\u2019s players at 26.
\nTeam Europe\u2019s highest-ranked players were Denmark\u2019s fourth-rated Holger Rune and Greece\u2019s fifth-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas but both withdrew from Borg\u2019s side due to injuries.
\nThat leaves sixth-ranked Andrey Rublev and Norway\u2019s ninth-ranked Casper Ruud as the veterans of a Europe squad that also includes Poland\u2019s Hubert Hurkacz, French youngster Arthur Fils, veteran Gael Monfils and Spain\u2019s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
\n\u201cIt feels like the first time when we\u2019re not the huge underdog going in,\u201d US vice-captain Patrick McEnroe said.
\n\u201cIt adds a little different wrinkle this time that both teams go in thinking OK it\u2019s not completely one-sided when you look at the rankings.\u201d
\nThe latest match-up in Vancouver features three singles matches and a doubles match on Friday and Saturday with wins on day one worth one point and triumphs on day two worth two points.
\nVictories on Sunday are worth three points with a doubles match followed by as many singles matches as needed to decide a champion. The first team to 13 total points takes the trophy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The 42-year-old Swiss star says he still likes being in the tennis sphere VANCOUVER Retired tennis legend Roger Federer, who helped Europe win three Laver Cups, hinted he might one day want to take on the captaincy at the team event. The 42-year-old Swiss star will be the subject of a tribute Friday at Rogers […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":357560,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-357545","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n