Roger Federer gifts custom Rolexes to Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe as Laver Cup captains bring an end to another chapter in their historic rivalry

Roger Federer gifted custom Rolexes to Laver Cup captains Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe as the two legends bring an end to another chapter in their epic rivalry. The Swede and the American have been captains of Team Europe and Team World since the inaugural edition of the three-day exhibition event.

Borg and McEnroe had one of the most iconic rivalries in tennis. The two men met 14 times on tour with both men winning seven matches each. However, their head-to-head meeting in Grand Slams was led 3-1 by the American. The rivalry also came to an early end as the Swede retired from the sport at the young age of 26.

The two tennis legends found a new chapter in their rivalry in the form of the Laver Cup, a three-day exhibition event pitting the best European tennis players against players from the rest of the world. The first four editions saw one-way traffic with the Europeans clinching the Cup on all the occasions. However, Team World bounced back to take the last two editions bringing the score to 4-2.

Roger Federer, the brain behind the Laver Cup, gifted custom Rolexes to the two legends to honor their legacy at the event. The Swiss joined hands with the brand in 2006 and has become one of their most prolific brand ambassadors since.

The case of the custom watches is colored half red and half blue which are the colors of Team World and Team Europe. Behind the watches, the tenure of the captains is mentioned, which is 2017-2024.

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"It’s very much a bittersweet week with Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe because I would love them to be captains forever" - Roger Federer

Roger Federer with next Laver Cup captains Yannick Noah and Andre Agassi (Source: Getty)

Roger Federer acknowledged that this Laver Cup evoked mixed emotions since he wanted Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe to captain their teams forever. He said:

“For me it’s very much a bittersweet week with Bjorn and John because I would love them to be captains forever,” the Swiss said (via atptour.com). “At the same time, we’ve got to move with the times, I guess.”

“It was supposed to be three years, four or two, and it ended up being seven. It’s been seven great years. Couldn’t have had better captains, to be honest," he added.

The Swiss Maestro added how he hoped that the two legends would pass on the torch to the new captains of Team Europe and Team World, Yannick Noah and Andre Agassi. He also hoped to see Borg and McEnroe around at the event in the future.

“Of course, in the future I hope that Bjorn and John will return and pass on the torch… to Yannick and Andre, that they will always be friends and guests as captains of the inaugural event,” he added.

Borg and McEnroe's epic rivalry at the 1980 Wimbledon championships spawned a film called Borg vs McEnroe in 2017.