Laver Cup, a delectable blend of team spirit and high octane tennis.

A magnificent weekend of tennis extravaganza came to a close in Chicago last night leaving fans drenched in euphoria with those endearing moments of team spirit and some high octane tennis. The 93,584 spectators who filled The United Centre in Chicago can vouch for this and also those numerous fans around the globe who followed the action closely.

It was a moment when time stood still as the blue benchers boisterously ran wild towards Alexander Zverev and piled over him in jubilation, celebrating a dramatic come from behind victory over Kevin Anderson that helped Team Europe lay hands on the trophy yet again. The final scoreboard read 13-8, and Europe knew that the Cup was coming home.

For those who might look at the Laver Cup as an exhibition, you certainly would change that opinion if you lived through the weekend to soak in the camaraderie of the teams and the roller coaster of emotions that they treated us to. Be it Novak Djokovic misfiring a ball into Federer’s back and then confessing why they refrain playing doubles, or Nick Kyrgios and Team World captain John McEnroe miffed at the chair umpire for a wrong call or that breathtaking half volley from Diego Schwartzman, the Laver Cup most certainly left every tennis fan awash in the joy of what can be called a delectable mix of team spirit and honest tennis.

Like Roger Federer says, “The Laver cup is not an exhibition because exhibitions are about the show. This is about winning.” And how truly, every win mattered, and the players indeed displayed how much invested they were, something that is not visible otherwise.

A brain child of 20-time Grand Slam winner, Federer, The second edition of this tournament in Chicago was a roaring success after the inaugural one in the picturesque city of Prague. The Swiss Great had initially expressed worry about how the event would grow. But it goes without saying, that Federer as a global icon has been thoroughly successful in drawing crowds who worship their idol and most deservingly so. A relaxed man now, Roger Federer is, by all means, the One who possesses this forte of carving a niche for himself in whatever he does or sets his mind to.

The larger than life promotion of the Laver Cup and the chemistry between the players is what touches the hearts of tennis fans. Also how else can we get to see Tennis greats like Federer himself play doubles with his otherwise rivals on tour Novak Djokovic or Alexander Zverev? Of course, one thing that was missed at this edition was the fantastic Nadal Federer chemistry that fans witnessed in the last season. With the Spaniard nursing a knee injury, his absence was conspicuous. And to be honest, those adorable victory celebrations of the two in 2017 at the O2 Arena in Prague (where Rafa almost jumped into Roger’s arms, so childlike and pure) still make for vivid memories that live so cosily in the heart of every tennis fan.

What makes the Laver Cup so special?, we sample three reasons here:

#The Laver Cup hands the competing teams a relaxed environment along with the motivation to win.

The ATP tour is a treacherous voyage. With players needing to grind it out week after week to sustain their ranking points, it often leaves them bereft of energy as the toil squeezes out every ounce of buoyancy from the athletes. The Laver Cup being a non-ATP event takes off the stress from the players, giving them some respite and in turn help getting the best from them. And we have few supreme examples this time to testify the fact.

In what was the battle of diminutives, two brilliant counter punchers, David Goffin and Diego Schwartzman treated fans to a match that they shall remember for a long time to come. The 5’7” Schwartzman played a miraculous half-volley with the match score 7-7 that forced the crowd to go up on their feet with deafening applause. That was when Goffin brought out of his bag some aggressive tennis that helped him close the match. It was a tennis treat to see the Belgian come out all guns blazing to keep his opponent at bay with an inside-out forehand in the end to register the victory.

Also, Grigor Dimitrov who made his Laver Cup debut was seen hitting with a lot of zeal which otherwise is a lacking factor these days when the Bulgarian plays on the tour. With a 22-16 win-loss, the World No 8 had often appeared struggling and far from his form that was in 2017 when he finished the season with the Nitto ATP Finals title. But on the dark grey court inside the United Center on day one in the opening match., Dimitrov was a different man. His opponent, American Frances Tiafoe who came in as a late replacement for Juan Martin Del Potro appeared tired but toasted the audience to win a breathtaking 36-shot rally. Dimitrov though wasted no time to see Tiafoe off in straight sets with some scintillating tennis that kept the crowds on the edge of their seats all through.

The others too, namely Kyle Edmund, Novak Djokovic and David Goffin, all emerged champions in their debut. It was very heartening to see the Wimbledon and US Open champ Novak Djokovic string a beautiful chemistry with Roger Federer. It is rare and precious such a spectacle, and tennis fans certainly cherish their favourite stars getting close and exuding the adulation that they have for each other.

The Laver cup bonds not only players but also their spouses

Novak Djokovic’s wife Jelena Djokovic shared a heartwarming picture of hers and Mirka Federer (Roger Federer’s wife) sharing some very adorable words for Mirka.

Her tweet read, “Iconic moment. So much respect for this lady" with the picture below.

We do not usually get to see such love when the players are grinding it out on tour. This certainly makes the Laver Cup so much more about players and the bonding with their families.

Team Spirit is the highlight of the Laver Cup

We get to see players cheering from their benches for their Team at the Davis Cup. Yes, but we also get to see the same in the Laver Cup. Be it those nervous expressions of Nick Kyrgios or Federer schooling Novak; it certainly works as an adrenaline gush for tennis fans. When team World took the lead for the first time, edging past Federer/Zverev in the doubles, the cacophony of their team who went berserk with joy was in itself a testimony to how much involved every player was in the tournament.

With Jack Sock and his heroics, the American was a leading force at the Laver Cup. He won a total of six points with three wins from four matches. Also, the visuals that were doing rounds on social media with the players warming up backstage were a visual treat for the tennis fans. Such team spirit, like those fist pumps, those loud roars and the mad hugs between players underline the importance of having such an event annually to infuse life in an otherwise monotonous Tour.

Alexander Zverev defeats Kevin Anderson and the team is ecstatic

Lastly, both the captains, John McEnroe of Team World and Bjorn Borg of team Europe who are legends of the sport were seen all joyous and soaking in the ecstasy of the successful tournament.

“It’s been an unbelievable week,” said Borg.“This is actually my favorite week of the year. I’m very proud of my team, we knew it’s going to be very difficult to beat Team World with John as the captain. He has a great team, they’re very professional.”

McEnroe said: “I’d just like to congratulate Team Europe. It was a great effort, great match, unbelievably exciting.“This team [World], I’m so proud of these guys. They’ve got great camaraderie and we’re going to win this one next year!”

Until next year, when the Laver Cup moves to Geneva, tennis fans will keep these gorgeous moments resonating in their heart and soul.