As Roger Federer is set to bow out from competitive tennis after the Laver Cup, here is how to watch the 2022 edition of the tournament.
The Swiss icon announced his decision to retire from the sport on Thursday, September 15. In a statement posted to his social media channels, Federer informed his legions of fans of the sad news.
“Tennis has treated me more generously than I could ever have dreamt,” he wrote, quote via Sky Sports. “And now I must recognise when it is time to end my competitive career.
“The Laver Cup next week in London will be my final ATP event. I will play more tennis in the future, of course, but not in Grand Slams or on the tour.”
Following this announcement, the Laver Cup becomes many fans’ final opportunity to watch one of the all-time greats in action.
Laver Cup 2022: How to watch the tournament?
Federer will actually bring down the curtain on his illustrious career at the tournament which he helped co-found. Formed by a partnership of Roger Federer, Jorge Paulo Lemann, and Tennis Australia, the Laver Cup is named after Aussie tennis great, Rod Laver.
But how are you able to watch the Laver Cup 2022? This tournament is exclusively available to view on Eurosport. For many TV customers, such as those with Sky, Virgin Media, and BT, this channel is already available.
On BT, Eurosport is channel numbers 412 and 413, whereas for Virgin/TIVO users, it is 521 and 522. Meanwhile, on Sky, Eurosport is channel numbers 410 and 411.
Away from typical TV, though, the sports channel is available via a Discovery Plus subscription. This costs £6.99 a month, or £59.99 for a year, per Finder.com.
Alternatively, you can get a Eurosport player monthly subscription via Amazon Prime for the same £6.99 monthly fee. However, this also requires you to have a Prime subscription too, which is an additional cost.
Both the Discovery Plus and Amazon Prime routes allow you to view Eurosport on a host of devices, including smartphones, TV, tablets, and consoles.
When is the Laver Cup?
This year, the tournament takes place at the O2 in London, from Friday, September 23 to Sunday, September 25. UK tennis fans can thankfully benefit from normal viewing times.
The early sessions on Friday and Saturday begin at 1pm UK time. Then, the evening matches start at 7pm. However, the final Sunday session has a different time, with the tournament’s climax beginning at midday (12pm UK time).
What are the team lineups?
An added bonus to the Laver Cup is the element of Team Captains. These provide fans with the chance to see tennis legends of the past getting involved with the sport once more. Bjorn Borg captains Team Europe, whereas John McEnroe leads Team World.
Alongside Roger Federer, the rest of his generation’s “big four” lead a star-studded European line-up. Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are set to play, as is Andy Murray. Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud then complete the team of six.
Meanwhile, Team World has a distinctly American feel. Three of the six-man team are from the USA, with the World squad featuring Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, and Jack Sock.
John McEnroe also enlisted Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassme, Diego Schwartzman, and Alex de Minaur to his line-up. Unfortunately, history works against Team World; they have never won a Laver Cup tournament in its four years of existence.
How does the Laver Cup work?
During the tournament, the opposing sides compete in a set of matches across three days. There are 12, three-set matches in all – nine singles battles, and three doubles matches.
Friday’s matchups are worth one point. Then, a win in the Saturday fixtures is worth two points, before Sunday’s matches earn the victors three points.
Whichever team reaches 13 of the 24 points available first wins the Laver Cup. But, in the event of a 12-12 tie, a decider will occur to determine a victor. This has not happened before, however.
For instance, last year, Team Europe cruised to a 14-1 victory over their rivals, winning the tournament with three matches to spare. Fans at the O2 and watching at home will hope for a more competitive showing this year.
But, maybe not so competitive as to deny Roger Federer one last trophy in his final ATP competition.
Featured Image Credit: Getty
