After a year away due to the pandemic, the Laver Cup made its triumphant return as Team Europe took on Team World in the fourth edition of the tournament.
This year’s event turned out to be the most one-sided to date as Team Europe – which boasted six of the top 10-ranked players on the ATP Tour – ran out 14-1 winners against an overmatched Team World to claim their fourth straight title.
The great Roger Federer was on hand to watch the tournament live, and he gave everyone an update on his recovery from knee surgery. Meanwhile, Hubert Hurkacz had a great week in Metz, France as he claimed both the singles and doubles titles in the Moselle Open to stay on course for a spot in the ATP Finals.
Read on below as SBOTOP rounds up all the biggest tennis news surrounding the ATP Tour.
Team Europe demolish Team World for fourth straight Laver Cup
It was an absolute blowout in Boston as Team Europe demolished Team World 14-1 to clinch their fourth straight Laver Cup win.
Despite missing superstars such as Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, Team Europe still tore through their opposition to record by far the most one-sided victory in the three-day tournament’s short history.
“I’m a proud captain. I’m proud of my team, what you guys did. To spend a week with you together, it’s amazing,” Team Europe Captain Bjorn Borg said during the trophy ceremony. “It’s an honour and it’s a great feeling.”
Led by world No. 2 and reigning US Open champion Daniil Medvedev, No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas, and No. 4 Alexander Zverev, the Europeans won all six of their singles matches. The only match they lost was in a doubles match featuring Zverev and Matteo Berrettini.
But Zverev redeemed himself as he and Andrey Rublev won their doubles match against Reilly Opelka and Denis Shapovalov, which sealed the win for Team Europe.
Rublev was the most successful player in the tournament as he went a perfect 3-0; he won his singles match against Diego Schwartzman and was triumphant in his two doubles matches.
Roger Federer gives update on health status
Roger Federer was in attendance during the Laver Cup, and while in Boston, the legendary Swiss provided some ATP 2021 updates on his recovery after undergoing his third knee operation in August.
The 40-year-old Federer, who hasn’t been in action since losing in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in July, admits he still has a long way to go to before he can return to the court, but he is not in a hurry and is in a “really good place” at the moment.
“I’ve got to first walk again properly, run properly and then do the sidesteps and all the agility work and then eventually I’ve got to be back on the tennis court. But it’s going to take me a few more months and then we’ll see how things are at some point next year.
“I’ve got to take my time. I don’t want to rush into anything at this point. This is also for my life. I want to make sure I can do everything I want to do later on. There’s no rush with anything, so I’m actually in a really good place. I think the worst is behind me.”
“I took the time and, I don’t know, I’m just really in a good place. I’m really happy.”
Hurkacz dominates in Metz to keep ATP Finals hopes alive
While Federer and many of the top players on the ATP Tour were busy at the Laver Cup, Hubert Hurkacz – who beat Federer in the quarter-final at Wimbledon – was busy dominating in the Moselle Open in Metz, France.
The 24-year-old Pole beat No. 2 seed and Olympic bronze medallist Pablo Carreno Busta in the final to claim his third title of the year. It was a big victory for Hurkacz, who lost to Carreno Busta in the round of 16 in the Cincinnati Masters and also crashed out in the second round of the US Open.
Aside from his singles victory, Hurkacz also claimed his second career doubles title, which he won with countryman Jan Zielinski.
With his win in Metz, Hurkacz has climbed up to 12th in the ATP rankings and also improved his ATP 2021 odds of playing in the ATP Finals in November. Hurkacz is currently in eighth place with 2,755 points and has a narrow lead over ninth-placed Norwegian Casper Ruud, who has 2,675.
Hurkacz is aiming to make his first trip to the season finale, where only the top eight players of the season will get to play.
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