By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, July 22, 2022
Grand Slam silverware bears Big 4 fingerprints.
The Big 4—Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray—have combined to claim 66 of the last 76 Grand Slam titles, have won every Wimbledon men’s singles title since 2003 and have held the top spot in the rankings for 18 consecutive years from February 2004-February 2022.
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Now, the Big 4 are reuniting to create tennis' ultimate dream team at Laver Cup in September.
Seven-time Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic has signed on for his Laver Cup return. Djokovic will join Big 4 rivals Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray on a dominant Team Europe squad that has won all four Laver Cup Championships.
Twenty-one time Grand Slam champion Djokovic said he's pumped to play the fifth edition of the Laver Cup, to be held at The O2 in London from September 23-25, 2022.
It will be Djokovic's first Laver Cup appearance since he partnered Federer in doubels at the 2018 Laver Cup in Chicago.
“I’m really excited to be joining Team Europe again for the Laver Cup at London’s O2 arena in September,” said Djokovic. “It’s the only competition where you can play in a team environment with guys that you’re normally competing against and to be joining Rafa, Roger and Andy—three of my biggest all-time rivals—it’s going to be a truly unique moment in the history of our sport.”
This Team Europe dream team convenes 30 years after a U.S. dream team of Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Jim Courier and John McEnroe joined forces to capture the 1992 Davis Cup championship with a 3-1 win over Switzerland in the final staged in Fort Worth, Texas. That American squad was so strong Sampras did not even crack the singles lineup; instead he played doubles alongside McEnroe.
McEnroe played on the U.S. dream now and will now go up against Team Europe's dream team as captain of Team World.
Rival captain Bjorn Borg is quietly confident of Team Europe extending its reign.
"I don’t think I could have imagined having these four icons of the sport on one team together," Borg said. "I know they, like I, appreciate the significance of this moment and will be truly up for it. Each year our goal is to win. With Rafa, Roger, Andy and Novak on the team, I like our chances.”
Team Europe is so far undefeated in Laver Cup competition, winning in Prague 2017, Chicago 2018, Geneva 2019 and Boston 2021.
Two roster spots are still to be announced to complete the six-player Team Europe lineup, while McEnroe’s Team World so far consists of Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, America’s Taylor Fritz and Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman.
At Laver Cup Chicago, Federer shared his thoughts on secrets to the Big 4's major dominance.
"You have to have so many different qualities in your game," Federer said. "You need to be able to serve well, return well. You have to have a transition game. You need to be able to finish at the net. You need to be physically strong, mentally strong.
"And I think our three playing styles challenge all those things. And that may be over a weekend, over a week, whatever it may be. It's just very hard, you know, I think for a lot of guys to break through and we have made it difficult. Then you add someone like Stan in the mix who comes in with the power or A team or a Sascha [Zverev] or a Murray obviously who has unbelievable retrieving potential and is also a great champion, and Cilic who can serve unbelievable."
Named in honor of Australian tennis legend Rod Laver, the Laver Cup is played on a dramatic black court that will be constructed within The O2. The three-day team competition pits six of the best players from Europe against six of their counterparts from the rest of the World.
Since its inception six years ago, the Laver Cup has established itself as one of the most prestigious tennis events on the calendar, bringing together world-class tennis and entertainment with premium partners and hospitality offerings to create an unrivaled spectacle for sports fans around the world.
Tickets went on sale to the general public in early March and have largely sold out with just a limited number of tickets remaining. For further player announcements and ticketing, fans are encouraged to register at LaverCup.com.
Photo credit: Christopher Levy