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Każdy członek drużyny musi wystąpić przynajmniej w jednym meczu singlowym (maksymalnie w dwóch), a w meczach deblowych musi zagrać czterech różnych reprezentantów drużyny.

Dramatic to the end, the inaugural Laver Cup came down to the last – and arguably best – of the competition’s dozen matches as Roger Federer fought back to beat Nick Kyrgios 4-6 7-6(6) 11-9 and secure the first title for Team Europe.

The O2 Arena was a wall of noise as the most compelling singles showdown of the weekend delivered a high-wire act of a match, Kyrgios coming within a point of dragging Team World from 9-3 down at the start of the final day into the winner-takes-all doubles Decider.

In the end, however, Federer sealed the title in a match tiebreak – the sixth of the weekend, and 18th tiebreak in all – recovering from 8-5 down and saving a match point at 9-8 to secure Team Europe’s triumph.

“I was ready to go – I had to be,” said Federer, who ended up contributing three victories and seven points to the hosts’ 15-9 victory. “That’s what a team member does. The boys played fantastic all weekend, but we knew it could change very quickly on Sunday. The Team World boys have been great, in the doubles especially, and we knew it was going to be tough. I was looking at getting ready for a doubles at the very end. I’m very pleased and relived that we did win the singles and got it done.”

The result might follow the form book, but a glance to the other end of the court as Federer and Team Europe celebrated spelt out just how close John McEnroe’s Team World side had pushed Borg’s boys in blue. A tearful Kyrgios was consoled by the Team World bench led by Jack Sock after seeing his sterling effort come up just short against the 19-time major champion. Unity, commitment, brilliance from both sides – the final chapter of the first Laver Cup had it all.

“I’m most proud of these guys – they put fought with their heart and soul and put everything into this,” McEnroe said in tribute to his underdog squad during the trophy ceremony. “And we were so, so close to pulling this off.”

Determined to unsettle the 19-time major winner, Kyrgios kept him guessing with his return position, sitting deep in the vast O2 Arena court before turning the SABR on the Swiss to break in game five for a 3-2 lead and throwing a leaping fist-pump towards the Team World bench as he yelled ‘c’mon baby!’

But it was the 10-minute game with the Australian serving at 4-3 that saw the contest truly hit top gear. From the moment Federer backed himself to block a cross-court blast with his backhand and find the open court, the momentum was once again up for grabs. Three break points came and went for the world No.2 as Kyrgios refused to throw points away, before an inch-perfect drop shot opened the door for the hold and a 5-3 lead.

A second when serving for the set at 5-4 was no as wise, drifting into the tramline to bring up two break points for Federer. But the 36-year-old spurned the chance, two errant forehands helping to see Kyrgios over the line.

Team World’s unlikely comeback was suddenly a set away, but Federer was in no mood to give up Team Europe’s fifth defeat of the weekend. Heeding Nadal’s advice to be more aggressive with the forehand, he worked his way to 0-40 at 1-2. A sixth and seventh break point came and went, but not an eighth, and it was Federer’s time to bellow an extended ‘c’mon!’

Back came Kyrgios, breaking in the next game and making light of his aching knees as he held on to earn a tiebreak. A stunning backhand drive saved Federer’s first set point, but there was no stopping him on the second, and the match go the distance.

Heightened tension on the court and heightened volume in the stands greeted the 10-pointer, with Federer throwing in two double-faults and Kyrgios somehow steering a regulation volley wide in the early exchanges. But both men rallied to find their best when it mattered, Krygios surging to an 8-5 lead and clinging on to reach 9-8, but it was not to be. Federer held his serve and with Kyrgios facing Laver Cup point, his forehand found the net to spark ecstatic scenes throughout the arena.

“It’s been a dream weekend for me,” Federer said. “I had a vision once upon a time that we should honor the great players of our sport. There’s only that many roles that a legend can have in our sport – coaching is one, or the seniors tour. I just thought it was not enough.
“We need to see the legends of our sport more frequently, who we’d like to thank. It’s not just the players standing on court today, there’s so many more that have paved the way for us so we can enjoy playing in front of a crowd like this, earn a living and live our dream. All of us, all we wanted to do all our life is play tennis, and here we are.”

Alexander Zverev was about to serve to fellow young sensation Denis Shapovalov in just the third match of the Laver Cup when the rustle of applause among the crowd inside Prague's 02 Arena quickly morphed into a roar. Zverev, obliged to pause, looked up at the giant video screen to see that the fuss wasn't about him, but about the visage of Roger Federer.

Zverev smiled and waited. When the noise subsided, he called to the sideline, "Now put up a picture of Rafa, too!"

Smart lad. Good sense of humor. He knows his place in the order of things, and his place -- and everyone else's -- at the Laver Cup was to be the subordinate of the two most successful Grand Slam champions of all time.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal led Team Europe to a victory against Team World in the first Laver Cup. EPA/MARTIN DIVISEK

For Federer, he isn't just the most successful player on the planet, as well as the most admired, but is the driving force behind the Laver Cup exhibition. The inaugural event was held this past weekend, with Team Europe defeating Team World 15-9.

Federer did not dot all the i's and cross all the t's on all the Laver Cup contracts, but the event was his idea. It's hard to imagine the event would have been such a spectacular success without his burning desire to honor Rod Laver. Of course, the Swiss icon brings in many sponsors and is deeply respected by his fellow players as both a role model and a peer.

The staging was elegant (although there's some debate about that gray court), the crowds abundant and the players delighted to be team members.

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Federer clinches 1st Laver Cup for Europe

Roger Federer rallied to beat Nick Kyrgios 4-6, 7-6 (6), 11-9 Sunday and clinch the new Laver Cup tournament for Europe on Sunday.

"To have an absolute legend [in captain Bjorn Borg] on the bench with me, and to get advice from Roger and Rafa, you cannot be higher in tennis," Team Europe's Dominic Thiem said to the media afterward.

Surprisingly, even the fears of a horrible mismatch because of the superior on-paper strength of Europe turned out to be unfounded. That was because the event-scoring system is a great playing-field leveler. There were four matches per day, with wins worth one point Friday, two Saturday and three Sunday. With only 13 points needed to win the event, Sunday's three-pointers loomed huge.

This event aspires to become something like tennis' Ryder Cup. Based on this weekend, it's an attainable goal. The mix of singles and doubles, with six players on each side, is both appealing and (for tennis) unique. The scoring system will safeguard against an imbalance of power. Actually, if Juan Martin del Potro, Kei Nishikori and/or Milos Raonic had been available to play for Team World, even a simple one-point-per-win scheme might have resulted in a competitive event.
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The in-match scoring system (two sets and a match-tiebreaker if the players split sets) was credible and satisfying. So was the degree of involvement and intensity by the players. Nadal, who awoke at 4 a.m. local time last Thursday to get some practice time, told the media, "An exhibition match? I don't practice before an exhibition match normally."

There were certainly moments of exhibition-style levity and gagging around, but that was partly because the benches of both teams were right there on the sidelines, and these are mostly young guys. At least none had their faces buried in smartphones.

So what's next? Much of this event was about Federer's magnetic appeal, personal power and charm. We don't know how potent those qualities will be when he's no longer an active force on the game. Even the greatest champions begin to lose influence once they're in eclipse or fully retired. On the plus side, Federer got this event off to a great start, and everything he touches appears to turn to gold anyway. He seems to have all the qualities of an outstanding entrepreneur.

But when a reporter compared the interest quotient of Federer and Nadal's successful debut as a doubles team to that of a solar eclipse, it made you wonder whether the magic of this moment can last.

"It was a success, but this isn't just about us," Federer said. "The celebration of Rod Laver and having [team captains] John [McEnroe] and Bjorn there overrides the doubles, but this was still an important moment for us."

- Wiem, że niektórzy tenisiści, którzy grali w Pucharze Lavera nie wezmą w nim udziału w przyszłym roku. Ich ciała mogłyby odczuć ponowny lot do USA - powiedział Guy Forget, dyrektor Rolanda Garrosa i turnieju ATP World Tour Masters 1000 w Paryżu.
Łukasz Iwanek
Łukasz Iwanek
16 Grudnia 2017, 22:13
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Getty Images / Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Na zdjęciu: Guy Forget

Boris Becker: Zverev to nieoszlifowany brylant. Jest najlepszy spoza "Wielkiej Czwórki"
Pod koniec września zainaugurowany został Puchar Lavera, rywalizacja Europy z resztą świata na wzór golfowego Pucharu Rydera. Inicjatorem tych rozgrywek był Roger Federer. W O2 Arenie w Pradze zwyciężyła drużyna Europy.
Ogłoszono wielki sukces pierwszej edycji, ale pojawiły się też znaki zapytania. W przyszłym roku Puchar Lavera odbędzie się w Chicago w dniach 21-23 września, czyli dwa tygodnie po US Open. Ponowna podróż do USA może mieć dla tenisistów niekorzystny wpływ na końcówkę sezonu ATP w Azji i Europie.


- Wiem, że niektórzy tenisiści, którzy uczestniczyli w Pucharze Lavera, w przyszłym roku w nim nie zagrają w Chicago. Wiedzą, że ponowna podróż do USA oznacza negatywne konsekwencje dla ich ciał. Oczywiście pokazowy turniej w bardzo napiętym kalendarzu może stać się problemem - powiedział Guy Forget dla portalu sport24.lefigaro.fr.

Puchar Laver może być kolejnym kłopotem dla męskiego tenisa. Dyrektor Rolanda Garrosa i turnieju rangi ATP World Tour Masters 1000 w Paryżu w listopadzie mówił o rosnącej liczbie kontuzji w męskim tenisie. Rok 2016 był naznaczony problemami zdrowotnymi Rogera Federera i Rafaela Nadala. Sezon 2017 zebrał potężne żniwa. Przedwcześnie musieli go zakończyć Andy Murray, Novak Djoković, Milos Raonić, Stan Wawrinka i Kei Nishikori, a także Gael Monfils.

- Dziwnie jest mówić, że najważniejsi tenisiści nigdy nie mieli tak długich karier, podczas gdy gra nigdy wcześniej nie była tak fizyczna. Mamy wiele dodatkowych turniejów, które w przeszłości nie istniały. Byliśmy naiwni sądząc, że zawodnicy są niezniszczali. Wcale tak nie jest, wykazują oznaki słabości - mówił Forget.