Two huge names could be contenders to take over Laver Cup captaincy roles

The Laver Cup came to something a muted end in Vancouver on Sunday evening and now there are suggestions that new big-name captains could give the event some new impetus.

Tennis legends John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg have been captains of Team World and Team Europe over the first six editions of the team tennis competition.

While their presence added gravitas to the event in its formative years, there are now suggestions that fresh faces could provide a new impetus to the competition.

The two names at the top of the list as potential captains for future Laver Cup events are Roger Federer and Andy Roddick.

Federer is an inevitable pick as he is heavily involved in the ownership structure of the event and has already to confirmed he would like to be a Laver Cup captain when Borg leaves the role.

“There’s something in me that’s Team Europe,” said Federer. “I’m happy if World wins, don’t get me wrong, but somehow I can feel it deep inside, I want Europe to win.

“I like being in the tennis sphere. Maybe one day I’ll be the captain of the team. There are no plans as of now, but I think that could be quite nice.”

Former world No 1 Roddick, who won the US Open in 2003, has also spoken positively about the Laver Cup, as he suggested he would like to have had a chance to play in the even when he was in his prime as a player.

“I think I would’ve loved the format,” said Roddick.

“I kind of look back and it’s always fun to see, you know, ‘what if the Laver Cup would have existed 20, 25 years ago.

“2001 it would have been Pete (Sampras), Andre (Agassi), Guga (Kuerten), Pat Rafter. I might not have made that team, I was a little late that year.

“That would have put them in a nasty team. Maybe Team World is the favourite there!”

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McEnroe has confirmed that he intends to remain in charge of Team World for next year’s Laver Cup in Berlin, as he is already looking forward to defending the title his team retained in Vancouver with a convincing 13-2 victory.

“I will be in Berlin, I’m looking forward to it,” said McEnroe.

“Europe will have a stronger team there and that will be good for the event.

“The goal was to make it like golf’s Ryder Cup, where everyone was waiting until the last minute to see who was hottest.

“Everyone was available. It doesn’t seem to be the case now. It’s tougher to get everyone committed.

“Hopefully tennis realizes the gift it was given by having Rod Laver and Roger Federer associated with a team event like this.

“I think it would be a shame if this thing didn’t continue to exist in the calendar.

“As a matter of fact, I think it needs more standalone time so that all players feel like it’s not something, scheduling-wise, that’s an issue.

“Obviously everybody was asked to play and we want all the best to play, but it wasn’t possible with schedules and all that stuff.

“I was a tough guy as well when it came to scheduling. I was very rigorous about which tournaments I could play.”