Roger Federer & Rafael Nadal coming together in future to captain Team Europe at Laver Cup may be in the works, confirms Swiss' agent
Roger Federer’s agent, Tony Godsick, recently confirmed that there are plans underway for the former Swiss tennis star and Rafael Nadal to team up in the future as captains of Team Europe at the Laver Cup. Godsick, known for being the long-time representative of the 43-year-old since 2005, is also the chairman of the Laver Cup, founded in 2017.
The Laver Cup recently concluded its seventh edition, with Team Europe claiming the title after defeating Team World by 13-11. With this, Team Europe won their fifth title as they reclaimed the Laver Cup following losses against Team World in 2022 and 2023.
Notably, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe served as the captains of Team Europe and Team World, and have now passed the baton to Yannick Noah and Andre Agassi starting from 2025.
Recently, in an interview with Marca.com, the agent of the tennis legend shared his dream of seeing Roger Federer as Team Europe’s captain and Rafael Nadal as vice-captain, with the two swapping the roles over time. He said:
“I hope so. My dream is for Roger to be the captain and Rafa the assistant, and then for it to be the other way around. In this way, they would be longer in office.
Godsick believed that Federer and Nadal's friendship was more special than their rivalry, adding:
“The rivalry they had on the court was very special, but I believe their friendship off the court is even more special. They are a clear example that all competitors can get along.”
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal teamed up as men's doubles pair at the 2022 Laver Cup
On September 23, 2022, the 2022 Laver Cup featured one of the most anticipated tennis matches of all time as Roger Federer and his long-time rival Rafael Nadal partnered as a men’s doubles pair for Team Europe. It was also the last international competition for the Swiss legend as he was set to retire following the match.
They competed against Francis Tiafoe and Jack Sock of Team World in the tournament. However, the two legendary players faced defeat against the USA pair, losing 6-4, 6-7(2), 9-11.
Following his last international match, a visibly emotional Federer said:
“It has been a wonderful day. I told the guys, ‘I’m happy. I’m not sad.’ So, it feels great to be here. I enjoyed tying my shoes one more time and everything was the last time. Funny enough with all the matches and having the guys and being here among fans, family, friends. I didn’t feel the stress so much even though I did think something was going to go wrong - pop a calf or block a back or something in the match. I am so happy I made it through and the match was great.”
Notably, Federer capped off an incredible professional tennis career with 20 Grand Slam singles titles and 310 weeks in his career as the No. 1 ranked tennis player.