Five best players at the 2019 Laver Cup

Modified Sep 24, 2019 09:38 GMT

Team Europe rejoice after sealing their third Laver Cup title in Geneva

#1 Roger Federer (Team Europe)

One of four players in action on all three days of the Laver Cup, Roger Federer teamed up with Sascha Zverev on the opening day to face Jack Sock and Denis Shapovalov, winning 6-4 7-5 to give Team Europe a 3-1 lead going into the second day of play.

On the second day, after John Isner beat Sascha Zverev to level the tie at three points apiece, Federer faced Nick Kyrgios in the second match of the day. The Swiss maestro squandered a 4-0 lead in the first-set tiebreak to drop the opening set but responded with a break in the eleventh game of the second en route to forcing a match tiebreak to eventually prevail 10-7. The win made Federer the first player to win his first five singles matches at the Laver Cup as Team Europe took a 5-3 lead in the tie.

Rafael Nadal's withdrawal from the competition owing to an injury on the final day ended the prospect of Federer teaming up with his great rival.

Federer, instead, teamed up with Stefanos Tsitsipas to take the opening set 7-5 against Jack Sock and John Isner. Tsitsipas' interspersing moments of brilliance with unforced errors and struggles on the return of serve proved to be Team Europe's undoing as Team World took a 7-5, 4-6 (10-8) win to romp into the lead for the first time in the tie (8-7).

Federer reacts after his win over Isner on the final day of action at the 2019 Laver Cup

After Taylor Fritz upset Dominic Thiem in the second match of the day to provide a 11-7 lead to Team World, Team Europe stared at a stunning upset on Federer's home turf. But Federer was determined to avoid this, beating John Isner 6-4 7-6 (3) in a match that featured a single break of serve. The win extended Federer's perfect singles record at the competition to 6-0 as Team Europe reduced the deficit to 10-11.

About the author

Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 18 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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Edited by sam.abraham