Jannik Sinner Will Never Play in the Laver Cup: “It’s Because of Federer,” They Say in Spain
Jannik Sinner is the undisputed world No. 1 after his second consecutive Wimbledon title. The South Tyrolean tennis player has spent a total of 80 weeks at the top of the ATP rankings and has officially joined the all-time top 10; his sights are now set on Andre Agassi and Björn Borg. In Spain, people are wondering why the Italian, despite his pedigree, has not yet participated in an edition of the Laver Cup—the competition created by Roger Federer that pits European players against the rest of the world.
Most of the players for both teams have already been announced for the September edition in London: the lineup includes Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev, as well as nearly all of the current top 10, with the exception of Jannik Sinner. In the past, all the top tennis players have participated in the event, from the Big Three to Murray, Medvedev, Berrettini, and many others.
The Spanish website Puntodebreak has offered some theories regarding the Italian player’s consistent absences from the event: First and foremost, it highlights the meticulous nature of the Sesto Pusteria champion’s preparation; for example, last year he skipped the Davis Cup finals specifically to rest and train optimally during the winter break. Aside from the Six Kings Slam, Sinner has also consistently snubbed exhibition tournaments.
According to the Spanish website, however, there may be another reason: his relationship with Roger Federer is cooler than, for example, Alcaraz’s relationship with King Roger. Despite their stated mutual respect, the two have been seen together very few times, and photos of them together are rare. They do not follow each other on Instagram. At Wimbledon, Federer has always been present during the final week, but he has never watched a match featuring the world No. 1.
On the court, meanwhile, Sinner continues to amaze. The 2026 season has already made tennis history with a record of 44 wins and just 3 losses, for a 93.6% win percentage that places it among the top 5 best seasons of the Open Era. Ahead of him stand only legendary seasons: Roger Federer’s 94.8% in 2006, the Swiss star’s 95.3% in 2005, Jimmy Connors’ 95.9% in 1974, and John McEnroe’s all-time record of 96.5% in 1984. His three losses of the year came under unusual circumstances: the Australian Open semifinal against Djokovic after leading two sets to one, the quarterfinal in Doha against an inspired Jakub Mensik, and the dramatic withdrawal at Roland Garros due to illness against the Argentine Cerundolo, when he was leading 5-1 in the third set.
