“I’m a big fan of team competitions… I’ve always watched the Laver Cup..” said Boris Becker during a conversation with Tennis Channel DE via Tennis.com. While admitting this was his first time attending the Laver Cup in person, Becker emphasized his long-standing belief in its potential. Roger Federer’s Laver Cup is sometimes seen as an “exhibition” due to its lack of ranking points, leading to some criticism within the tennis community. However, Becker dismissed these doubts in just 3 words.

Per the former World No. 1 player’s opinion, this tournament holds a crucial role in promoting tennis internationally, and he added, “So it’s important to have tournaments like the Laver Cup, where the best in the world play.” His latest X post further solidifies his belief as he wrote, “Numbers don’t lie,” on a post that reveals the growth of the tournament. Interestingly, over 60,000 fans from 82 countries came to enjoy this year’s event, where ultimately Team Europe held the trophy!

Moreover, fans watching the matches while sitting at home has also contributed to the success of the seventh edition of the Laver Cup, which broadcasted to 218 territories this year, resulting in around 2.2 million website views and over 30 million social media interactions. This huge reach of the ATP-sanctioned event comes despite the absence of big names in the tennis world like Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray in the event. And figures like these not only reveal fans’ nods of approval for the young generation players like Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, etc, but also hint at the event’s popularity worldwide!

“I’m incredibly proud of what I have created,” said Roger Federer about the Laver Cup, which has now extended its partnership with ATP for another five years! Inaugurated in 2017, the Cup’s success over the years has erased many renowned tennis players’ doubts, including Andy Roddick’s, who admitted how after witnessing the matches live, his initial skepticism about the event faded away.

However, for others, there was never a doubt to begin with! The Team World captain, John McEnroe, who bid adieu to the event this year, said, “What the Laver Cup has achieved in just a few years is incredible. This event captures the essence of what tennis is all about competition, passion, innovation, and sportsmanship.”

Moreover, players like Stefanos Tsitsipas have openly suggested, “I get more excited about a competition like the Laver Cup than any other tournament of the year.” However, besides enjoying the growth of the event, Roger Federer had a “bittersweet” feeling at this year’s event!

Roger Federer’s “bittersweet” moment of the 2024 Laver Cup event!

Remember in 2022, when Roger Federer announced his farewell to us after playing alongside his long-term rival Nadal in the Laver Cup in London? Well, this year, it was Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, (the two captains of Team Europe and Team World, respectively), who retired. Talking about this before the start of the event, Federer said, “For me, it’s very much a bittersweet week with Bjorn and John because I would love them to be captains forever. At the same time, we’ve got to move with times, I guess.”

He further acknowledged their massive contribution to the Laver Cup and added, “It was supposed to be three years, four or two, and it ended up being seven. It’s been seven great years. Couldn’t have had better captains, to be honest.” Roger Federer also mentioned that the two captains will pass on the torch to the next captains of the teams, Yannick Noah (for Team Europe) and Andre Agassi (for Team World). And who knows, maybe next year we might Becker point out an even bigger success for the Laver Cup!