"Only heard great things": Roger Federer looking forward to Vancouver visit

Roger Federer is coming to Vancouver.

Though the now-retired tennis legend won’t be playing at next month’s Laver Cup, he will be in Vancouver for the duration of the event being held at Rogers Arena.

Federer never played in Vancouver during his illustrious career and it sounds like the September visit will be his first.

“I’m very much looking forward to Vancouver and the Laver Cup being there. Only heard great things about the city,” Federer said in a video posted to social media by the Laver Cup. “I’m really looking forward to seeing how the Canadians fans will be, especially with their great players coming up.”

Roger Federer will take center court in Vancouver for a special Q&A during the evening session on Friday, September 22, honoring the anniversary of his last competitive match.

Plus, 2 lucky fans at each session will have the opportunity to meet Federer. https://t.co/VJrRfafUEC pic.twitter.com/VTv9TbYIyc

— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) August 15, 2023

Federer is a co-founder of the Laver Cup, which is an annual team event that pits Europe versus the rest of the world.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion will be celebrated on Friday, September 22 during the evening session, as it’ll mark one year since Federer’s last competitive match. Federer will also flip the coin for the last match on Friday night and will speak on-court with former World No. 1 Jim Courier.

All fans attending Friday’s evening session will have the chance to submit questions for Courier to ask Federer. In addition, two fans at each session will be randomly selected to sit courtside and meet the Swiss tennis great.

Twelve of the best tennis players in the world will be in Vancouver for the Laver Cup from September 22 to 24, less than two weeks after the conclusion of the US Open in New York. Seven players have confirmed their attendance in Vancouver thus far.

Team World, captained by John McEnroe, has three players on its roster in World No. 9 Taylor Fritz, No. 10 Frances Tiafoe, and No. 14 Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Tennis bad boy Nick Kyrgios, who was previously added to Team World, has withdrawn from the event due to injury.

Team Europe, captained by Bjorn Borg, boasts World No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas, No. 5 Holger Rune, No. 7 Casper Ruud, and No. 8 Andrey Rublev.

It remains to be seen which other five players will compete in Vancouver, though tournament organizers are no doubt holding out hope for the biggest remaining names.

World No. 2 Novak Djokovic played in this tournament one year ago, while No. 3 Daniil Medvedev played in the 2021 Laver Cup. World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz declined to play in last year’s tournament, opting for rest, though Federer was hopeful the Spaniard would participate this year.

Rafael Nadal played in last year’s event, though the tennis icon hasn’t played since January due to injury.

Denis Shapovalov, ranked 22nd in the world, could join Auger-Aliassime on Team World to give the tournament more Canadian content. But he too is nursing an injury, which recently caused him to miss the National Bank Open in Toronto — his hometown tournament.

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