Why the Laver Cup is not just an exhibition tournament
With Alexander Zverev defeating Kevin Anderson in a closely fought game, Team Europe successfully retained the Laver Cup this year which it had won in the inaugural year in 2017. There is a certain section of media and sports analysts who consider this tournament as just an exhibition tournament.
It's true that there is no ATP points to gain from this tournament. But then so is the case with the Olympics. Even Davis Cup has stopped awarding ranking points. One could argue that since the Laver Cup is only two years old, it does not have the legacy of either the Olympics or the Davis Cup.
But then it takes years and even decades to build a brand or create a legacy. Consider the Ryder Cup in golf, for example, which is probably the closest equivalent to the Laver Cup. With time, one is hopeful that Laver Cup will grow in stature.
The enduring image of the first Laver Cup was Rafael Nadal jumping onto Federer while celebrating his teammate's victory over Nick Kyrgios. Coupled with that, Nadal and Federer playing doubles together, mind you with intensity and passion, is something that could only be dreamt of by the tennis fans who have seen two of the greatest tennis players ever on the opposite side of the court in many a classic and gruelling match - none more so than the 2008 Wimbledon Final.
Talking of images, another enduring one from the first two years of tournament was to see the two non-playing captains of Team Europe and Team USA, the wonderfully eccentric John McEnroe and the enigmatic Bjorn Borg, resuming their 'rivalry' that had suddenly come to an end with the unexpected retirement of Borg at the age of 26!
However, the greatest aspect of the Laver Cup is the way it has been conceived by a Tennis GoAT (Greatest of All Time) to arguably the original GoAT. Roger Federer's tribute to Rod Laver through this tournament is something that shows how a true sportsperson understands and appreciates the legacy of the sports, and the role played by those who came before him, in furthering the sport.
The most significant aspect of the Laver Cup so far is not just the iconic images of greats of the game such as Federer, Nadal or Novak Djokovic playing for the same team, or even the terrific contests between the top players such as Federer-Kyrgios from last year or Federer-Isner, and Zverev-Anderson from this year but the enormous respect and appreciation of the game's legacy that resulted in the creation of Laver Cup in the first place.