The Fun Tournament

“Oh my God, he’s like Mikhail Baryshnikov on his feet,” she said. “And he’s such a nice, nice guy. He’s just—what can I say, he’s the best, he really is. That’s why I’m trying to see him any chance I get.”

The event, known as the Laver Cup, was conceived four years ago by Federer and his longtime agent, Tony Godsick, and named in honor of Rod Laver, the best male tennis player in the last century, as Federer is in this one. The competition cycles between locations in Europe—the first edition, last year, was held in Prague—and outside Europe. This year’s tournament brought many well-known players to Chicago, including star Novak Djokovic, the wild Nick Kyrgios, young talent Alexander Zverev, and Americans John Isner, Jack Sock, and Frances Tiafoe. They were split into two teams: Europe versus the rest of the world. At Chicago’s United Center, home of basketball’s Bulls and hockey’s Blackhawks, most of the seats were full from Friday afternoon, when the event began, until it ended early Sunday evening. Attendance averaged over 31,000 per day—just shy of Wimbledon’s daily average of 36,000.

There’s really only one question about this event’s success: Will it continue once Federer leaves the professional tour and no longer performs as much or at all? Many, including Karen Granby, said they would follow Federer even if he just came to a Laver Cup to coach or clap. “Oh yes, I’m interested in anything that he’s involved in,” she said.

John Granby, a 72-year-old vice president of government relations at Lion, a company that makes protective clothing for firefighters, said the couple spent about $4,000 for close seats for all five sessions. Seats in the front row cost more, and there are other features for customers to buy, like the 200 Club, named for Laver’s 200 singles titles, the most in history. Fans in the club on Thursday watched Federer practice on a court in their private section, as nearly 1,000 others lined up in the free Fan Zone just to get a glimpse of him.

Lisa Robeson, a 49-year-old who drove the two hours from Champaign, Illinois, is a Federer lover, too, but said that seeing him was just part of the attraction of the Laver Cup. “I’m a big tennis fan in general and I was also excited that Björn Borg and John McEnroe were the team captains,” Robeson said. “Federer has done a lot to promote the game and I think he has a vested interest in keeping the excitement in tennis and generating even more excitement.”

Federer told the press that he doesn’t know yet what he will do later in life, but the point of the Laver Cup was to build an institution bigger than himself. “Of course I hope I will be involved in some shape or form, but at the same time it’s not something I plan for,” Federer said. “This is more something for legends—and legends down the road—that everybody can connect here and have a great time. That was the idea behind it.”

It may have been a great time but the players sure didn’t hit just for fun. All the players were paid a fee, based on ranking, just for attending. But only the winners received prize money, a total of $250,000 for each player on the team. The losers won zip. They didn’t try to make their shots entertaining and flashy rather than effective, as often happens in exhibitions. They served hard (some over 130 mph) and sprinted to retrieve drop shots. If two sets were split, the opponents played an extended tiebreak (first to 10 rather than 7). When Sock lost his singles match against Britain’s Kyle Edmund in a tiebreak, he slammed his racket on his bag and walked off the court without signing any autographs. One point, in doubles, caused shock in the crowd when Djokovic crushed a forehand that hit Federer, his partner, in his lower back. (Federer laughed as Djokovic gave him a massage.)

Clive Brunskill / Getty

The best part of the competition: Victories are worth more points each day, so the drama builds toward a climactic finish. On the first day, wins are worth a point, followed by two points on the second day and three on the third. The team of European players headed into Sunday with a 7-5 lead, but the opposing team, with players from five countries, had a chance to come back. In a tense and entertaining doubles match, Sock and Isner beat Federer and Zverev 11-9 in the final tiebreak, while saving 2 match points. The crowd cheered as Isner and Sock jumped and hugged teammates. About 15 minutes after the match ended, Federer and Isner returned for a singles match. Federer saved 3 match points and went to a 10-point tiebreak. He ended the match with a forehand winner and pumped both of his fists in the air.

“He’s a poet-warrior,” said John Key, a 59-year-old Brit who flew in from his current home in Vancouver to see his tennis hero. “It’s not just his play, it’s his outlook on tennis. He’s a gentleman. As an Englishman we respect that.”

The tournament ended when Zverev came back from a set down against South Africa’s Kevin Anderson. When Zverev won the match, he dropped to the ground and was soon covered by his teammates, who celebrated in a pile on the court. Eight of the 11 matches in the tournament ended in a tiebreak after splitting the first two sets. The final score was 13-8 to Team Europe.

Federer and Godsick were among those who cooked up the scoring system. “We had a whiteboard and we kept going through things and making changes, trying to come up with a format that we thought could easily be digested by the fans,” Godsick said.

“I think maybe my idea was to play the doubles first on Sunday, I just thought that would be a nice reverse situation, and it gets four guys out on the court early,” Federer said. “It feels like you’re never safe until two matches are basically played on Sunday, which I think the spectators enjoy.”

It’s a time of change in tennis, the most dramatic in the last few decades. Grand Slam tournaments have become much bigger than any other event, with loads more prize money, while some smaller events, now mostly filled by low-ranked players, are struggling. The Davis Cup, which began in 1900, is in the last year of its traditional format. Historically, the event was divided into several stages, which gave teams alternate at-home advantages. Starting next year, players from the top 18 countries will arrive in Madrid in late November and compete for the title over a week. While many players and observers have applauded the new design, it has also been criticized—especially in Australia, where Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt said it was nothing more than a money-grab. Australia, for its part, will host a new ATP World Team Cup for men’s tennis pros in the first week of January 2020, before the Australian Open begins. It feels like the ideas are battling one another, not meshing with and complementing one another. It’s a worry for everyone, but Federer feels the Laver Cup is a separate issue.

“I have a small concern that, you know, especially the Davis Cup and the World Cup that Tennis Australia and ATP are trying to organize,” Federer said. “It’s hard to see those two coexisting. . . . I think the good thing is, and I mentioned this together, is that everybody has to get to the table and think a little bit what’s best for the game. Can we come together as a tour and figure it out? I do believe Laver Cup’s a different situation . . . because it’s not just one country.”

The U.S. Tennis Association and Tennis Australia both supported the Laver Cup, each having invested a little more than $5 million, according to people familiar with the matter. There are other partners, too, and Godsick said this year’s event has made a profit.

“There’s no risk that this will not keep going, at all,” Godsick said. “Our goal is to build and invest in the brand for the long run.”

As for Karen and John Granby, they hope to see Federer at the Laver Cup next year, too, in his home country, Switzerland.

“I’m already talking to John about going to Geneva,” Karen said.