Roger Federer was ever-present over the weekend as the XXth iteration of his creation, the Laver Cup, shone yet again.
Whether it be behind the scenes with the players or courtside alongside stars such as Thierry Henry or Leonardo DiCaprio, the 20-time Grand Slam champion remains revered wherever he appears; fans still can’t get enough of him.
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However, despite his continued involvement in tennis, he remains somewhat removed from the sporting world, seldom giving interviews or discussing current events, but remains a global ambassador for various brands.
His stock has not dropped at all since his 2022 retirement from tennis; in fact, it’s arguably never been higher.
And yet, people still wonder when he might finally re-emerge from his inactivity and wade back into the sport.
Were he to ever make this move, it would almost certainly be as a Laver Cup captain.
That was at least what both Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic thought back in 2022, speaking just after Roger Federer had played his last-ever game.
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The Scotsman, who lost both his Laver Cup matches that year, predicted: “I’m sure Roger is going to stay involved in the event in some capacity and maybe one day captain the team.
“Look, he’s great on the side (coaching). He watches a lot of tennis; he loves the game. I think for ex-players that go into coaching, I think that’s important to sort of stay current and know a lot of the players.”
Djokovic would echo that sentiment, adding: “I think that Roger can offer a lot. I mean… It’s logical to expect him to be able to share so many useful and valuable things with anybody, really.
“If he ever would consider doing that, I’m sure that he’s going to bring a lot of positive things to the improvement of that player, whether male or female, in every aspect on and off the court.
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“He’s undoubtedly one of the greatest players to play the game, the way he played it, with his style and effortlessness.”
And yet, despite it feeling like a foregone conclusion four years ago, this has still yet to come to fruition. For now.
While it remains uncertain whether Yannick Noah will still be the Team Europe captain in a year’s time, it does seem like an inevitability that we will one day get to see Federer take his spot.
After all, his agent and chairman of the Laver Cup, Tony Godsick, effectively confirmed it in a press conference this weekend, years after the Swiss superstar expressed his own interest in the role.
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Speaking in 2023, he admitted: “There’s something in me that’s Team Europe. I’m happy if World wins, don’t get me wrong, but somehow, I can feel it deep inside — I want Europe to win.
“I like being in the tennis sphere. Maybe one day, I’ll be the captain of the team. There’s no plans as of now, but I think that could be quite nice.”
And now, it has been confirmed that Federer will be a Laver Cup captain one day, but the timeline remains uncertain.
Godsick revealed: “So Roger one day is ready to be captain,” said Godsick. “The next day he says, I can’t be a captain for ten years. He’s got four kids and a lot going on.
“What I can tell you is one day he will be captain, for sure. I hope.”
