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Tennis icon Roger Federer has revealed the doubles partnership that he would love to see feature for Team Europe at the sixth annual Laver Cup. Taking place at\u00a0Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada, the tournament is a highlight in the tennis calendar which sees a number of famous faces take to the hard court in a three-day spectacle.<\/p>\n
This year’s event sees another star-studded lineup of players for both\u00a0Team Europe and Team World. Names including\u00a0Gael Monfils,\u00a0Frances Tiafoe and\u00a0Ben Shelton\u00a0are among the top-seeded stars appearing this year.<\/p>\n
The tournament involves all players featuring in a mixture of singles and doubles matches, usually involving some never-before-seen partnerships. And this year it’s\u00a0Andrey Rublev and Hubert Hurkacz who are the unlikely pairing catching Federer’s attention.<\/p>\n
The pair have faced each other before on four occasions, with two wins apiece, but could now play alongside each other much to Federer’s delight.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very happy and pumped up to be here,”\u00a0Federer said ahead of the tournament.\u00a0“It\u2019s going to be short and sweet, three full days, action-packed.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI get very excited about Laver Cup doubles, because there are usually teams that we haven\u2019t seen in the past so I would like to maybe see Hurkacz and Rublev play together. On the World side, there\u2019s tons of doubles teams with Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz. I just like superstar combinations.”<\/p>\n
The tournament sees two former tennis icons captaining each team. This year Team Europe is being led by 11-time Grand Slam winner Bjon Borg, with seven-time Grand Slam winner John McEnroe leading Team World. And Federer is not ruling out becoming a captain in the near future.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s something in me that\u2019s Team Europe. I\u2019m happy if World wins, don\u2019t get me wrong \u2014 but somehow, I can feel it deep inside, I want Europe to win. I like being in the tennis sphere. Maybe one day, I\u2019ll be the Captain of the team. There\u2019s no plans as of now, but I think that could be quite nice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Don’t miss… <\/strong> We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n Federer\u00a0went on to reveal how he created the idea for the tournament alongisde his agent\u00a0Tony Godsick at a previous Shanghai Masters. \u201cWe started discussing how I think it would be great to have the best players get together and also have a place where the former greats can reunite and have a role to play,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The 42-year-old added that the tournament, which started in 2017, holds a special place in his heart.\u00a0The tennis icon played his last competitive match at the 2022 Laver Cup alongside\u00a0Rafael Nadal, but\u00a0lost in a tiebreak to Team World’s American doubles team Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, it\u2019s personally completely exceeded expectations,” he added. “I never thought I was going to play in Geneva, [and] obviously also a little bit nostalgic for me to retire at The O2, where I did play a lot of my matches.”<\/p>\n The tournament runs from Friday until Sunday at\u00a0Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada.<\/p>\n
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