Tennis pundits have wondered how the Laver Cup will fair once Federer is no longer playingGETTY IMAGES
The second edition of Roger Federer’s Laver Cup begins on Friday at United Center as "teams representing Europe and the rest of the world" face off, and while it is a "meaningful event, it is still generally regarded as an exhibition, albeit one that is glitzy and more captivating than a standard hit-and-giggle," according to Stuart Fraser of the LONDON TIMES. With Gerard Piqué "threatening to hold the new Davis Cup Finals in mid-September, it has put some pressure on the Laver Cup to quickly establish itself as a credible sporting contest that can hold its own." Federer’s popularity "can carry the event in its first few years," but it is unclear what will happen "when his remarkable playing career finally comes to an end." A "strong indication of Federer’s unwavering belief in the potential of the Laver Cup came in July when the decision was taken to make the event an annual occurrence, rather than taking a break during Olympic years." It was "quite a statement, considering how congested the calendar now is with team events." In addition to the Laver Cup, Davis Cup and Olympics, the ATP’s World Team Cup and ITF’s planned winner-takes-all tournament are "expected to also be held" in '20. But history shows that Federer has "something of the midas touch." With a "potential alliance of some form with the ATP up his sleeve," perhaps the Laver Cup, "against the odds, can somehow prevail" (THETIMES.co.uk, 9/21).
FEDERER'S IMPACT: In N.Y., Christopher Clarey wrote the Laver Cup for now "remains an exhibition with higher aspirations." It has "failed to attract all the eligible players, even with generous participation fees and $250,000 for each member of the winning team." But the "prospect of seeing" Novak Djokovic and Federer, "often edgy rivals, join forces and likely play doubles together is intriguing." The event "draws more attention than a regular tour event would draw less than two weeks after the U.S. Open," and though "many in tennis say they believe the Laver Cup will prosper only as long as Federer remains a player, he plans to remain involved after he retires" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/20).
AGENT SPEAK: Federer's agent, Tony Godsick, noted some have said the Laver Cup is "in competition with the Davis Cup." Godsick: "It's completely different, there's nothing similar. It's just three days." He said the goal is to "create a long-lasting event that's part of the vernacular of tennis." Godsick said they are "not building this event to make money today," rather the goal is to "create an event that everybody's excited to play, that people and fans look forward to." Godsick: "If you build that, and you do it correctly, you will be profitable" (TENNIS.com, 9/19). In N.Y., Graham Parker noted Godsick wants to "emphasize the need for tennis to innovate in a fragmented sporting marketplace." Godsick said he has "reached out to every single governing body in men’s tennis" over the last three years, saying they "need to work together to help grow the sport." He "describes those conversations as continuing," but for now the tournament is "aiming to build from a compelling first impression from the tournament’s debut" in '17. Godsick said there is "too much competition" in tennis and the sport's leaders need to "put events out there for the public to consume, for TV to consume, for the media to consume, to help us get to the next level." Parker noted the Laver Cup is "trying to gain initial traction within the short attention spans and looser national affiliations of the internet and globalization era." Godsick said the event is "not an all-star show," but is a "serious competition with serious players.” He sees the "success of the format as being judged by the depths of the fields it produces." Godsick: "This is a sport that’s driven by stars" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/20).
