Laver Cup, Frances Tiafoe doesn’t forget Roger Federer

Visibly emotional, the American tennis player paid tribute to the Swiss champion

Interviewed on the O2 Arena court immediately after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas and giving Team World the Laver Cup victory, Frances Tiafoe did not fail to reserve special praise for Roger Federer, the undisputed star of the fifth edition of the competition he invented.

“Great feelings. Our captain was sick of losing, all week I said this could be our year. Then there was Felix (Auger-Aliassime, ed.) who beat Nole, and even in the doubles win we were outstanding. We all did it together, it was tough. At the beginning it was kicking my butt then I managed to turn it around. I’m very confident now, I like to play in full stadiums, I like to get the crowd on my side, it’s the game I love and I’m happy to lift the Laver Cup trophy,” Tiafoe began.

“When I play my best tennis, they always tell me ‘try to have fun.’ So little by little I build confidence and inertia. The win I got in doubles against Federer is irrelevant; he won the tennis that night. He has been an incredible ambassador of the sport for 20 years, and even a better person than he is outstanding as a tennis player, I thank him for creating this competition. Of course I won’t miss the fact that he was beating everybody – laughs, ed – but his presence in the locker room will. Hats off to a true legend. Legends never die,” he concluded.