Team Europe wins third Laver Cup with late heroics from Federer, Zverev

September 22, 2019 Ricky Match recaps 13

The third time was almost the charm for Team World.

Roger Federer and Alexander Zverev had other ideas.

Needing to win the final two singles matches on Sunday evening in Geneva, Switzerland, Federer and Zverev delivered for Team Europe–giving that side its third Laver Cup title in as many installments of the annual competition. Trailing on the scoreboard following losses in doubles and the opening singles rubber, Federer beat John Isner 6-4, 7-6(3) before Zverev won the winner-take-all tilt against Milos Raonic 6-4, 3-6, 10-4.

”I’m very excited,” said Federer, who lost in doubles with Stefanos Tsitsipas 5-7, 6-4, 10-8 to Isner and Jack Sock prior to his singles bounce-back. “What an atmosphere and what a match. I’m thrilled that I was able to give something back to the team after a tough match tiebreak (in doubles) earlier today. Team Europe has been amazIng. They’ve fought so hard and played so well.”

But underdog Team World gave the Europeans everything they could handle. The doubles victory gave the visitors their first lead of the whole weekend before Taylor Fritz extended it to 11-7 by beating Dominic Thiem 7-5, 6-7(3), 10-5.

That match was supposed to be Rafael Nadal vs. Nick Kyrgios, but Nadal ended up being sidelined by a wrist issue and Kyrgios’ withdrawal due to a shoulder problem followed shortly thereafter.

Fritz’s heroics gave Isner a chance to clinch the cup for Team World, but the 6’10” American got denied by Federer. And with that the stage was set for Zverev and Raonic, who were separated only by a decisive tiebreaker. It was Zverev who had control right from the start of the ‘breaker, befuddling his Canadian opponent with a dizzying array passing shots. It ended in appropriate fashion with a clean forehand pass at 9-4.

“It was an unbelievable weekend,” reflected Zverev, who has now given Team Europe the clinching points in two consecutive Laver Cups. “Those guys (Federer and Nadal) were screaming at me in the locker room before the match tiebreak, saying this is how I could turn my season around. Without all of these guys on the bench, I couldn’t have done it. This is very special, especially playing in front of those guys and having them trust me to play the last match.”

“We believed in him like we believed in every player,” Federer said of Zverev. “I yelled at him all the way to the locker room (before the tiebreaker), in the locker room, and on the way back that this will hopefully turn his season around. Confidence might not be as high as it was in the past years but this is exactly the kind of final that he needed to hopefully turn it back on.

“He’s proven his point in the last three Laver Cups in front of 20,000 people every time and he came through. So he can handle it. In terms of slams and all the big tournaments, it is just a question of time for him to put it all together. But this was definitely an emotional day for Sascha and it is his moment.”

“Team World came once again very close but we won the right points and had maybe a little bit of luck,” explained European captain Bjorn Borg, who also led his squared to victories in 2017 (Prague) and 2018 (Chicago). “I’m very proud of my team, they did a hell of a job. I’m a very happy captain.”

Team World will go for a four-peat next Sept. 25-27 in Boston, Mass.

13 Comments on Team Europe wins third Laver Cup with late heroics from Federer, Zverev

    • Big Al, I don’t see the point, either. And I don’t get this arbitrary devision between Europe and the rest of the world. Jon Wertheim pointed out – correctly IMO – that it would probably better if the coaches or the leading players would just nominate players and form two teams. This would distribute the forces a bit more equally. I also have strong doubts if LC will ever manage to become the Ryder Cup of tennis. Atm the appeal of the competition is there because of the participation of many top players and their interaction. When Roger, Rafa and Novak have retired the appeal will probably take a steep dive.
      That said, the spectators and the players clearly enjoy the competition, and especially the young players learn a lot. And if was definitely very competitive. Every player clearly gave his very best. And while Team World was the absolute underdog on paper, they came agonizingly close. I feel very bad for them.

      Reply

      • “The point” is to spark interest in tennis, not among you diehard fans, but among more casual sports fans. As a showcase it’s brilliant. What it’s not is serious tennis. It’s not an endurance test, except possibly in cheerleading. It’s meant to be FUN both to watch and to play. It’s not something that goes on any player’s career resume. It’s an *exhibition* of tennis.

        I think the format: World v Europe is basically good. What’s bad it that the world’s promising young players really haven’t stepped up. If anything the World has stepped back. Currently the World’s only top tenner is Nishikori and he’s injured much of the time, unfortunately, so Europe is still dominating the top ten.

        I don’t know if it’s possible but I think a good way of balancing this would be to get the women involved. The World has much stronger women than men. The event would have to be expanded, of course.

        Reply

        • Ramara, I agree with most of your thoughts. While LC isn’t a serious tournament, but more of a glorified exhibition, it’s indeed a good show case for modern tennis, and the players as well as the spectators have a lot of fun. It’s very unfortunate, though, that male tennis outside of Europe has regressed. Since Roddick retired, the US didn’t have a steady top ten player, although Isner, Querrey and Sock had a good result now and then. Atm the young Canadians may have the most promising potential if we look at the North American continent. Unfortunately the South American situation isn’t much better, and besides Kei Nishikori, who is constantly injured, there aren’t many good Asian players either. And since I don’t think that this situation will change anytime soon, the constellation Europe against the rest of the world is very problematic for a few more years.
          It also crossed my mind that it would be a great idea to include the women, although it would probably complicate the logistics of the event. But, as you said, women’s tennis is far more diverse than men’s tennis. Many talented women could give Team World a much needed boost. I’m sure that the public interest would be sky high☺️

          Reply

  3. You left out Rafa’s vital last coaching advice to Sascha:

    “NO ONE NEGATIVE FACE!!!”

    Screamed at him as he headed down the hall to play the match tb.

    Reply

  4. Very entertaining, but it needs to be a rivarly and it’s not. Already tired of team Europe winning everything. Teams need to be more even. My heart breaks for Team World, they tried so hard and to come up short again is frustrating..
    Seems there was some controversy today, what’s the use of having alternates if you are not going to use them? Team Europe got to change the line-up and Team World didn’t, like they needed an extra edge. Some kinks need to worked out .

    Reply

  5. Teams not even as Team World is stronger in doubles whilst Team Europe in singles, so it more or less balanced out, if not we won’t see such drama all throughout three days of competition and the winning team decided only in the last match played.

    Even if Rafa and Kyrgios were playing on the last day, I’m sure it would still be tight at least in the first two matches.

    Team World won 33% of the singles matches whilst Team Europe won 33% of the doubles, and yet Team World was able to make it competitive right till the end. If Team World has healthy Delpo and Kei to join them next year, perhaps they could make a difference.

    Also the HC surface may favor the big servers which Team World has plenty of them. Team Europe has better ROS players so that makes it more challenging for both sides.

    I think both teams had some players who were either injured or just coming back from injuries, still they gave their best so I think it’s an event worth watching for tennis fans, at least for its entertainment value; I mean how often you see both Fed and Rafa coaching team mates and each other from the court side? And to me that’s entertainment enough, watching them and listening to them, and their younger teammates certainly could benefit from that.

    Maybe one day, Rafa may be the coach for Team Europe, when he retires from professional tennis, he certainly enjoys the matches and enjoys coaching others. I love his input after he analysed what’s going on during the matches – Sasha, Thiem and Tsitsipas all could benefit from Rafa’s (and Fed’s) input. They’re valuable lessons that they don’t get anywhere else but LC where they received direct coaching from Fedal.

    There will always be ways to improve the event so it’s up to the organisers to look for further improvement.

    Reply

  7. Fedal very naughty, I bet Tsitsipas must be feeling quite embarrassed. But, they would just laugh it off, no hard feelings I think.

    Tsitsipas certainly learned quite a lot by first playing doubles with Rafa and then Fed. Fed likes to move to the net a lot whilst Rafa is great from the baseline, but once he positions himself at the net during his partner’s service game, he is good at intercepting the ball at the net for a winner with his quick reflexes.

    Tsitsipas is still not there yet as a good doubles player, and he’s obviously the weaker link in his doubles matches with Fedal. The advices that Fedal gave him during the matches should benefit him and I hope he’s humble enough to realise his own inadequacies and improve on them.

    I also like it that both Fed and Rafa were like stern masters to Sasha, telling him to stay positive, no showing of negative feelings or emotions, “No one negative face” as per Rafa!

    Reply

  8. I agree w/Ramara, above….great event for all tennis fans @ the world. I played in my usual 12 man round robin this am and everyone was talking about it….and had thoroughly enjoyed it….its fun, competitive, good for the sport!

    Reply

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