Roger Federer continues his Laver Cup bromance with Novak Djokovic online
Arch rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic got the rare opportunity to spend quality time together, along with Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray at the 2022 Laver Cup.
While Federer and Nadal were announced as part of the Team Europe line-up back in February, Novak Djokovic was confirmed to represent the team in July.
The Big-4 teaming up together had already caused a lot of buzz. However, Roger Federer announcing that the event was set to be his last as a professional tennis player made the event especially significant.
Earlier in the month, speculation was rife about the tension between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, as the former was said to have not responded to Djokovic’s heartfelt message after he announced retirement.
However, it seems that the duo, who have had instances of bad blood between them, have buried the hatchet during this year’s Laver Cup.
After the tournament concluded in favor of team World on Sunday, the two legends reflected upon their eventful week, and both acknowledged each other online. Roger Federer continued his bromance with the Serb and shared the latter’s Instagram story.
The 41-year-old said in the story:
“Not the ending we all wanted. Thanks for a great week!”
In a press conference after the tournament, Federer emphasized how the format of the Laver Cup allowed the multi-Grand Slam winners to bond on and off the court.
He further said that he was grateful to everyone who was kind to him during his final week on tour:
"Even if we go for dinner at night, like here this week, I really enjoyed my time with Novak and also Andy and everybody on the team who I got to know better."
He continued:
"Yeah, so a lot to say thank you to the guys, everybody who was so good to me, this week is special, Novak and Andy, and of course Rafa. The takeaway is that you can co-exist easily in this environment,” he remarked.
“It sends a great message out there to everyone” – Novak Djokovic on getting to connect with Roger Federer and others at the Laver Cup
Novak Djokovic resonated with Roger Federer’s thoughts, noting that as ambassadors of the sport, it was their responsibility to maintain a healthy relationship off the courts.
He further credited the Laver Cup for providing a platform to connect with fellow athletes.
He said:
"Look, as Roger said, co-existing in this environment with respect and admiration for each other is something that I feel like we can all do, and we are, in a way, responsible to do. We go out there against each other."
He further added:
"We want to win matches, but off the court, it doesn't mean that we should never speak to each other. Actually, I feel like these weeks of the Laver Cup particularly are strengthening the bonds."
The Serb further elaborated on how the players chose to engage in brainstorming conversations throughout the week.
Djokovic concluded:
“We get an opportunity and time to pick each other's brains and spend quality time off the court in some really interesting conversations about tennis of course mostly and life in general, which allows us to understand and know each other better, you know, which I think is really nice. It sends a great message out there to everyone."
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