The 2022 Laver Cup gets underway in London on Friday, and it's set to be an emotional affair. Swiss legend Roger Federer, one of the most decorated athletes in the sport's history, will bid farewell to the game of tennis in his final game as part of the tournament.
The 20-times grand slam winner announced his retirement from the sport earlier this month, saying that the Laver Cup will be his final outing as a professional player. Tributes flocked in from all corners of the tennis world.
Federer is part of an all-star European team for the Laver Cup, and the action gets underway this weekend. We have all the info you need for the 2022 competition in London.
Everything you need to know about Roger Federer's farewell to tennis
What is the Laver Cup?
The Laver Cup is an annual tennis tournament which takes place a team of European all-stars, and a team comprised of the best players from the rest of the world.
There are six players on each team, three of whom qualify through the ATP World Rankings, with the other three qualifying via captain's picks. The European captain for 2022 is Bjorn Borg, while John McEnroe leads the rest of the world team.
The tournament is a three-day affair, with three singles matches and one doubles match on each day. Each match on day one is worth one point, each match on day two worth two points, and each match on day three worth three points, meaning the competition is guaranteed to be decided on the final day at the earliest.
This year's event takes place from Friday September 23 to Sunday September 25, in the O2 in London.
The Laver Cup was founded in 2017 and was intended to be a Ryder Cup equivalent for tennis.
Who's playing on the Laver Cup teams?
The exciting prospect of tennis' "Big Four" joining together for the first time has become a reality for the 2022 Laver Cup. Roger Federer will be joined by Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray as part of team Europe.
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will join Federer on Team Europe (Photo: Shutterstock)
The rest of the European team will comprise of Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Matteo Berretini (an alternate for Federer)
The rest of the world team is made up of Taylor Fritz, Félix Auger-Aliassime, Diego Schwartzman, Frances Tiafoe, Alex de Minaur, Jack Sock, and alternate Tommy Paul.
When is Roger Federer playing?
Roger Federer will play his final game of professional tennis on Friday evening as part of the day's doubles match. It remains undecided who will be his partner for that match.
Federer has confirmed he will not be playing any singles games during the weekend. He shared with the press his hope that he may get to play alongside his great adversary Rafael Nadal on his final outing:
I think it could be a unique situation, if it were to happen. For as long as we battled together, having always this respect for one another, the families, our coaching teams, we always got along really well.
For us as well to go through a career that we both have had and to come out on the other side and being able to have a nice relationship I think is maybe a great message as well to not just tennis but sports and maybe even beyond. For that reason I think it would be great.
I don't know if it's gonna happen, but I think it could be obviously a special moment.
How to watch the Laver Cup?
The Laver Cup will be broadcast on Eurosport in Ireland, with the channel carrying coverage of every game during the competition.
Laver Cup tickets
There are a limited number of tickets available at a premium rate on the Laver Cup website for the weekend's sessions. The way to go if you are in the market for Laver Cup tickets may be to opt for Thursday's open practice day, which has considerably cheaper tickets available.
The 2022 Laver Cup is set to be a famous occasion in the world of tennis, as the great Roger Federer makes his final appearance. It is not an event to be missed.
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