“Borg being super quiet… McEnroe always complaining” – Federer reflects on departing Laver Cup captains’ legacy

A few years ago, Roger Federer envisioned a celebration of men’s tennis carrying the intensity of the Ryder Cup. Federer materialised his imagination by organising the Laver Cup, named after Rod Laver, in 2017 with support from his management company Team8, Tennis Australia, and Jorge Paulo Lemann.

The inaugural edition featured the Swiss himself, Rafael Nadal, Alexander Zverev, Marin Cilic, Dominic Thiem, and Tomas Berdych spearheading Team Europe. Pitted against them were Team World’s Sam Querrey, John Isner, Nick Kyrgios, Jack Sock, Denis Shapovalov, and Frances Tiafoe.

At the helm of two teams were the gentlemen who defined rivalries from 1978-81 — Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe. The two clashed on the tour 14 times, with their head-to-head balanced at 7-7.

Borg, the 11-time Grand Slam champion from Sweden, took responsibility for Team Europe, whereas American McEnroe, the winner of seven Major titles, led Team World at the 2017 Laver Cup. Since then, the Swede has helped the European side claim the coveted Laver Cup trophy four times and McEnroe’s side has triumphed twice.

It all, however, ends this year in Berlin, Germany, as the former rivals accompany their bunch of players for one final time as captains. Ahead of the occasion, Borg and McEnroe received acknowledgment from Federer, the Laver Cup creator.

“They believed in the Laver Cup when nobody knew what it was going to be like,” the Swiss said after recently setting foot in Berlin. “So imagine going up to Bjorg and John and saying, ‘Hey we have this concept, we have this idea, do you think you could captain that?’ And they don’t know what they’re really getting into, to be quite honest. So, for them to roll the dice and take a chance on us and Laver Cup makes me very happy and very grateful to them.”

The legacy is Bjorn being so super quiet and just so cool, staying true to his character, and then John, on the other side, the fiery one, always complaining, always shouting, always motivating the players.

Roger Federer

The 20-time Grand Slam champion notably played his last competitive match in Borg’s captaincy at the 2022 Laver Cup.

“They couldn’t be on more opposite spectrums. So I think that’s what their legacy will be for them to have been the captain for seven years and being the inaugural one forever, for life. They, obviously, always going to have a special place in the Laver Cup’s heart.”

He wished for the duo’s return as spectators in the next editions of the Laver Cup.

“I hope they will come back in the future years as well and support the Laver Cup and have the best time in the lounges, watch tennis, and do whatever they want because that’s what they’re supposed to be doing.”

The 2024 Laver Cup will be played from September 20-22 inside Berlin’s Uber Arena. The likes of Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud, Grigor Dimitrov, and Stefanos Tsitsipas will represent Bjorn Borg’s Team Europe in blue.

In the red corner will be John McEnroe’s Team World including Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Ben Shelton, Alejandro Tabilo, Francisco Cerundolo, and Thanasi Kokkinakis.

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