UNSTOPPABLE!
‘Time will tell how big Ryder Cup of tennis will become,’ says Federer
BY the time Roger Federer stepped out for last night’s climactic final rubber of the Laver Cup, he was already in a no-lose situation. Either he was going to score the win that carried Team Europe to overall victory, or Nick Kyrgios would defeat him to set up a potentially thrilling, sudden death doubles to decide this inaugural edition’s outcome.
As it turned out Federer had it both ways, stealing a pulsating 4-6 7-6 11-9 win over the mercurial Australian for a final scoreline of Europe 15, The World 9, saving a match point to boot. Nothing can go wrong this year for the 36-year-old Goldenballs of tennis.
People will debate the status of this event, whether it can gain more than an exhibition status, but the players’ actions spoke louder than words.
Kyrgios was in tears at the end, having blown a 8-5 lead in the ‘Champions’ tiebreak. Rafael Nadal looked in danger of chewing his knuckles off, so fervently did he watch and support his old rival from the sidelines. He is either a very good actor or he really cared.
Another distraction was the raging desire of one captain, John McEnroe, on one side of the umpire’s chair and the comparatively Sphinx-like behaviour of Bjorn Borg on the other.
‘Time will tell how big the Laver Cup will become,’ said Federer afterwards.
‘It was like a fairytale for all of us, or for me at least, at the end. There was pressure having to prove that the event is successful. The only way it was ever going to be successful is if the players cared. And they did.’
His analysis of the event was hard to dispute, even if he has a huge vested interest as its promoter with, among others, his management company.
The presentation was undeniably superb in an arena packed to its 16,000 capacity, with Tennis Australia – another of his partners in the enterprise – giving it the full treatment that has made their domestic Grand Slam such a success. McEnroe described it as ‘an absolutely awesome event’.
But what gave it credibility, and hope to establish itself as something akin to golf’s Ryder Cup, was the attitude of the two teams.
Far from having the feel of hitand-giggle, every rubber was keenly contested.
Whether this exceeding of initial expectations will be enough to find accommodation and recognition from the ATP Tour and International Tennis Federation remains to be seen.
Chicago has been announced as the venue for next year, as Europe will host alternately.
They will not be putting any of the results down in record books, but at the very least it should focus minds on enhancements required for the Davis Cup and the procession of ATP tournaments that make up the bulk of the season.
The Laver Cup could have been one-sided, but for the doubles prowess of Jack Sock, who helped keep the ‘World’ in touch.
He and John Isner won yesterday’s opening doubles. Isner then produced one of the best performances of his career to beat a sluggish Nadal 7-5 7-6, and give Kyrgios the chance of levelling the score at 12-12, thanks to the excessive weight given to matches on the closing day.
Federer has been doing eighteen hour shifts all week on various fronts here, yet he still he found the energy to defeat Kyrgios.
If there might be concern for his event, for the whole sport in fact, it is how the void that he and Nadal’s eventual retirement will be filled.