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After 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer announced a couple of days ago that Laver Cup 2022 will be his last-ever official tennis competition, the ticket prices for the event soared up and the sales went through the roof with them getting resold in the range of over 55,000 – 59,000 pounds (over Rs 50,00,000). However, it seems this high amount spent on the tickets can prove to be a total waste with clouds of uncertainty hovering over Federer’s participation.
According to reports, Federer may give the prestigious tournament a miss as he is still not completely fit to play. His physical trainer of more than 20 years, Pierre Paganini, told Swiss news outlet Blick that the 20-time Grand Slam singles champion is still unsure about playing at the 02 Arena in London later this week.
“He (Federer) will probably decide that at the last moment,” Paganini said. “He’s trained to have as much information as possible about whether it’s a good idea or not. I am excited,” said Paganini. He further stated that he felt the 41-year-old’s decision to hang up his racquet was ultimately the wise one and has been in the works since July, given the great effort it was taking him to play at relatively low intensity.
“I think it’s a smart decision. It’s not just about the knee”,” he said. “Roger has played a lot of matches in his career and put his body under extreme strain. He’s had to put in an incredible amount of effort in recent years to compete at a world-class level.”
If Federer tries to play with a fitness level below 100%, he can play only doubles. However, that seems impossible as well. The marquee exhibition inspired by golf’s Ryder Cup and founded by the Swiss’ management company Team8, requires each of the six players representing the two teams (Europe and the Rest of the World) to play at least one singles match. Notably, Matteo Berrettini has been added as an alternate player. He can join the rest of the five players on Team Europe.