Laver Cup Says Good Bye to Fed - and the Big 3

[jimlosaltos]

The event Fed and Team8's Tony Godsick created to honor icon Rod Laver takes on new significance with Fed's retirement announcement.

This (health permitting) will be the last time the Big 4 play together on ATP / major stage.

https://lavercup.com/

There are still 100+ seats available in O2 arena for every day, but prices for Sunday are $2,000 even in the upper level to a You Can't Be Serious $40,000 on Viagogo:
https://www.viagogo.com/Sports-Ticke...-9865921?qty=2

I love the team format and how the scoring is set up makes the final matches, every match, significant. But, as usual the format's problem is that Europe so dominates tennis that, post Delpo, Sampras, Agassi, "The World" can't put up a competitive team.

But I suspect the pomp & circumstance over celebrating Fed will make all that irrelevant.

How often does one get to see Bjorn Borg, Fed, Rafa & what's his name, all in one place?

TV Coverage here:

https://lavercup.com/how-to-watch-laver-cup

In the US it's Tennis Channel, in the UK it's Eurosport.

[arturohernandez]

The event Fed and Team8's Tony Godsick created to honor icon Rod Laver takes on new significance with Fed's retirement announcement.

This (health permitting) will be the last time the Big 4 play together on ATP / major stage.

https://lavercup.com/

There are still 100+ seats available in O2 arena for every day, but prices for Sunday are $2,000 even in the upper level to a You Can't Be Serious $40,000 on Viagogo:
https://www.viagogo.com/Sports-Ticke...-9865921?qty=2

I love the team format and how the scoring is set up makes the final matches, every match, significant. But, as usual the format's problem is that Europe so dominates tennis that, post Delpo, Sampras, Agassi, "The World" can't put up a competitive team.

But I suspect the pomp & circumstance over celebrating Fed will make all that irrelevant.

How often does one get to see Bjorn Borg, Fed, Rafa & what's his name, all in one place?

TV Coverage here:

https://lavercup.com/how-to-watch-laver-cup

In the US it's Tennis Channel, in the UK it's Eurosport.

I think it might be the last time that the Big 4 play together and the last time they attract such a big crowd. Unless they decide to do a comeback tour next week and bring back some of the world greats to compete as well.

Otherwise, I think the era is about to have its final sunset. A 5 year sunset, it's like something out of sci-fi.

[jimlosaltos]

I think it might be the last time that the Big 4 play together and the last time they attract such a big crowd. Unless they decide to do a comeback tour next week and bring back some of the world greats to compete as well.

Otherwise, I think the era is about to have its final sunset. A 5 year sunset, it's like something out of sci-fi.

Oh, they'll play again (well, perhaps not with Djokovic) just not as I wrote on the ATP/ major level.

I believe the Latin American exo tour Fed/ Team8 did years back grossed more money than he made in ATP prize money that year.

Then, there's the Match 4 Africa charity events -- one of which had the largest audience ever for a tennis tournament, filling 50,000 stadium in Africa. And the small circuit Fed did with Zverev, which filled a bull-fighting ring in Mexico of roughly similar capacity.

[arturohernandez]

Oh, they'll play again (well, perhaps not with Djokovic) just not as I wrote on the ATP/ major level.

I believe the Latin American exo tour Fed/ Team8 did years back grossed more money than he made in ATP prize money that year.

Then, there's the Match 4 Africa charity events -- one of which had the largest audience ever for a tennis tournament, filling 50,000 stadium in Africa. And the small circuit Fed did with Zverev, which filled a bull-fighting find in Mexico of roughly similar capacity.

Borg and McEnroe did one too! I think the tour will be great and I would definitely pay maybe even more than I would if they were still pros.

Well, maybe. But it would definitely be big sell.

[jimlosaltos]

Informal photo from Laver Cup that somehow makes me feel good. Positive vibe here. Sorry, I don't know the source.

There is captain Bjorn Borg and his son Leo in the center, Stefanos Tsitsipas and his parents on the right ( while his father coaches him, his mother played pro tennis), and Fed smiling on your left. I don't know the two women on our far left.

filedata/fetch?id=98631&d=1663798102&type=thumb

[jimlosaltos]

Roger Federer's last tour-level match will be tomorrow night (Friday) in doubles with his buddy Rafa.

In the US, this is only on Tennis Channel, as best I can tell.

It apparently will not stream on the ATP's service, Tennis TV. I don't know if it will later appear on Sinclair's streaming service TC Plus or not. Schedule in an image at the end of this email.

If like me you do not have a cable carrier that offers Tennis Channel, I "may" -- emphasize may -- have found a workaround for people that own Samsung TVs dated from 2017 on. Samsung offers an obscure streaming service called "Live TV". A new sub-brand for Tennis Channel called "T2" is reportedly offered on the Samsung app included with these TVs. It took your intrepid reporter a whole lot of digging, but I believe T2 is channel 1154 on the Samsung TV app. I have NOT tested this.

How to enjoy Samsung TV Plus on your Samsung Smart TV
https://www.samsung.com/ca/support/t...msung-tv-plus/
List of channels:It's 1154
https://www.samsung.com/us/televisio.../all-channels/

LCFed.jpg

[stotty]

A friend of mine bought a ticket for 850. He must be mad. I wouldn't pay a fiver to watch that kind of stuff.

[stroke]

A friend of mine bought a ticket for 850. He must be mad. I wouldn't pay a fiver to watch that kind of stuff.

I would not go for free. I would not pay for a professional wrestling match either.

[glacierguy]

I have paid GBP6.99 for a month of Eurosport/Discovery+, so I can watch in UK.

[jimlosaltos]

To each his own.

Not arguing, it's a matter of taste, but we went to the Laver Cup Chicago and it was tremendous. One of the most enjoyable tennis experiences ever.

Level of play was extraordinary. Team format generated tremendous energy.

Watching Rafa coach Fed vs Kyrgios was worth the price of admission by itself.

But then I like vanilla ice cream more than chocolate, so go figure

[glacierguy]

The Fed/Nadal doubles was a tough watch. I watched until 3-3 in first set, then went to bed (it was that good), and half-watched the rest in the morning whilst browsing the news. I still wanted to listen to Fed's farewell speech though.

[arturohernandez]

I could definitely see that both Rafa and Roger were limited in their movement. They looked rusty and slow. Their guile and skills kept them in there but I really wonder if Rafa's tears are for himself.

I feel he is nearing the end and may be looking and thinking about how to make the exit himself. At this point, I put him at 50/50 to win anything big in 2023. He has come back so many times from so many injuries.

It will be interesting to see how Novak does against the young guns. Tiafoe is firing on all cylinders and just appears peppier and well younger.

The goodbye was very sad but a bit too staged for my liking. Maybe he should have just kept it as more of a secret.

The videos of his previous matches at the Laver Cup were eye opening. I mean he was still a force up until three years ago. That is really amazing!

[jimlosaltos]

The Fed/Nadal doubles was a tough watch. I watched until 3-3 in first set, then went to bed (it was that good), and half-watched the rest in the morning whilst browsing the news. I still wanted to listen to Fed's farewell speech though.

Here you go. Haven't watched this link but with luck it has it all.

https://youtu.be/oc7RmW9Gfqg

~~~~~~~

Also,
Links of possible interest:

• TheGuardian. Tears, hugs and glory as Roger Federer finally bows out from tennis. "“When Roger leaves the tour, an important part of my life is leaving too because of all the moments that he has been next or in front me during important moments of my life,” said Nadal, who is now 36. Nadal and Federer sat together during the ceremony, even holding hands, and there were displays of emotion from all directions."
• LaverCup Doubles Highlights 9:45 min, click then scroll right to the third item.
• YouTube Highlights 3:32 min.
• NYTimes (paywall): Federer, Even in Defeat, Gets Fitting End to Storied Career "“She could have stopped me a long time ago, but she didn’t,” Federer said of Mirka, a former tour player whom he has long called “my rock.”
• NYT: ‘Everything happens’ over a long career, says one of Federer’s coaches.
• If you don't subscribe to Tennis Channel, the entire event can be streamed from Tennis Channel Plus, subs here.
• Shorts: Fed hugs Mirka and the kids. Fed thanking everyone tearfully.

Federer cried
Rafa cried
Tsitsipas cried
Somewhere chair Mohamed Lahyani probably cried but he wasn't on TV.
Mirka cried
The four twins cried
I'm not crying. Something's in my eyes.

Fedal Tears

filedata/fetch?id=98652&d=1664041629&type=thumb

[stotty]

It's all too much. Ridiculous. All this wallowing and crying. You can't imagine Hoad and Gonzales falling apart like this. How times change.

[glacierguy]

It's all too much. Ridiculous. All this wallowing and crying. You can't imagine Hoad and Gonzales falling apart like this. How times change.

Headline from Sunday Times (Scotland Edition) "New Bawls Please", alongside picture of weepy Fed/Nadal.