BIG VOID! Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal Miss Out on Team Europe Contingent for Laver Cup 2021

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have announced heartbreaking news for fans of Tennis. The Big 3 will not be playing at the Laver Cup in Boston this year. However, Team Europe still boasts of a strong contingent which will play Team World in September this year.

Laver Cup is an annual men’s team event, in which Team Europe competes with Team World on hard court. The tournament did not take place last year due to the Coronavirus pandemic. However, it is back with its fourth edition this year.

Team Europe is ready without Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic

In its fourth edition, Laver Cup will witness a European team without Federer, Djokovic and Nadal. Despite these absences, Team Europe looks strong with some really great players. Matteo Berrettini, Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud0, Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev will be defending the title in Boston this year.

Novak Djokovic will be missing his second consecutive Laver Cup tournament. He did not play in the 2019 campaign either due to political drama within the ATP. Rafael Nadal has been going through a rough patch in his career due to injury issues and hasn’t been the same player. He picked up a foot injury after this year’s French Open semifinal and recently withdrew from the North American circuit as well.

As far as Roger Federer is concerned, a third knee surgery is on its way for the Swiss star. The former World No.1 withdrew from the Cincinnati Open and the US Open and will undergo knee surgery. He has hinted that it will be a long time off the court for him, however his will to keep playing remains intact.

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History of the Laver Cup

Team Europe has a 3-0 record against team World in the past three editions of the Laver Cup. The tournament originated in 2017 and since then the Europeans have been utterly dominant. This year looks to be the same with the Europeans being in fine form.

The team includes the Olympic Gold medalist, National Bank Open winner and also the Wimbledon Championships and French Open finalists. Team World includes Felix Auger-Aliassime, Diego Schwartzman and Denis Shapovalov until now. The other three members will be announced in the coming days.

Will Team World be able to cause an upset or will it be smooth sailing again for Team Europe?

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