Tennis week in preview: Roger Federer to bid adieu to tennis at the Laver Cup, Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu headline tournaments in Asia, Daniil Medvedev returns to action in Metz | September 19-25, 2022
Roger Federer's retirement announcement shook the world last week. The upcoming Laver Cup will be his swansong as the Swiss maestro bids farewell to the sport he has played for more than two decades. The tournament will also feature Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, who'll be his teammates.
While Federer will dominate the headlines this week, there's plenty of action happening elsewhere as well. The WTA tour continues its trek through Asia, with Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu leading the field in Tokyo and Seoul, respectively.
Former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev is also competing this week as he headlines the Moselle Open. With the exception of the Laver Cup, all tournaments will take place from September 19-25.
Here's a preview of all the action happening this week:
Laver Cup (September 23-25)
Another tennis legend is set to hang up his racquet as the Laver Cup will be the final tournament of Roger Federer's illustrious career. With Serena Williams also retiring recently, the sport has lost two of its icons within a matter of weeks.
Federer will be joined by his rivals and fellow greats Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, along with Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas on Team Europe. They'll take on Team World, which is represented by Taylor Fritz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Alex de Minaur, Frances Tiafoe, Diego Schwartzman, and Jack Sock.
Roger has arrived 👀
@LaverCup | #RForever | @rogerfederer https://t.co/ldWOXHLkXd
Team Europe have won the previous four editions of the Laver Cup and are the favorites this time as well. They'll be extra motivated to win this time to ensure Federer has the perfect send-off.
Moselle Open (ATP 250)
Daniil Medvedev is the top seed at the Moselle Open, followed by defending champion Hubert Hurkacz. The former is competing in his first tournament since his US Open title defense ended in the fourth round a couple of weeks ago.
Also in the mix are Lorenzo Musetti, Holger Rune, Richard Gasquet, and Dominic Thiem, among others. The Austrian finished as the runner-up at the Rennes Challenger over the weekend and will be eager to continue the momentum here.
Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka has to go through the qualifying rounds due to his low ranking. He defeated Laslo Djere and will take on Zsombor Piros for a spot in the main draw.
San Diego Open (ATP 250)
The San Diego Open returns for its second edition. World No. 25 Dan Evans is the top seed. Casper Ruud is the defending champion, but will compete in the Laver Cup instead.
Americans Jenson Brooksby, Brandon Nakashima, Marcos Giron, and J.J. Wolf are among the other seeded players. Young talents Brandon Holt and Zachary Svajda received wildcards to compete as well.
Toray Pan Pacific Open (WTA 500)
The tournament returns to the WTA tour for the first time since 2019. The pandemic caused the cancelation of the previous two editions. World No. 4 Paula Badosa is the top seed, followed by the in-form Caroline Garcia.
Talking tennis in Tokyo 🎙
Top seed @paulabadosa & defending #TorayPPO champ @naomiosaka ✌️ https://t.co/ZcAXuhUYdv
Two-time Major winner Garbine Muguruza, reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova are also in the running. The biggest name here is obviously home favorite Naomi Osaka. The 24-year-old is also the defending champion, but has been going through a rough patch of late.
Osaka will kick off her title defense against Daria Saville on Tuesday. Other notable names in the draw include Alison Riske-Amritraj, Veronika Kudermetova and Beatriz Haddad Maia.
Korea Open (WTA 250)
Grand Slam champions Emma Raducanu and Jelena Ostapenko are the star attractions in Seoul, where the Korea Open is taking place this week. The 2017 French Open winner is the top seed here as well as a former champion at the venue.
17-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova, who won the Chennai Open over the weekend, will be aiming to continue her exploits here. Runner-up Magda Linette is also present here. Eugenie Bouchard is also continuing her comeback and has entered the tournament using a protected ranking.
World No. 25 Ekaterina Alexandrova, 2022 Wimbledon semifinalist Tatjana Maria and 2022 French Open doubles champion Kristina Mladenovic are some of the other big names playing in Seoul.
The stage is set for some high-octane action this week, along with what will be an emotionally charged farewell at the Laver Cup for Federer.
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