The Swiss Fed Cup captain Heinz Guenthardt believes there would be no way the Laver Cup would go ahead if the French Open sticks to its rescheduled version of the competition.
French Open authorities decided to postpone the year’s only Grand Slam on clay to start on September 20, its first week being played alongside the Roger Federer-organised Laver Cup. And while the ATP, WTA and other authorities have fumed over French Open’s decision not to take them in confidence before the rescheduling, Guenthardt believes this isn’t a battle Federer or Laver Cup would be taking on.
Interestingly, as soon as this move was announced, Laver Cup had come out with their press release saying tickets for the event at Boston had sold out and they had no plan to change their schedule. Federer is expected to play in the Laver Cup too but with the French Open now held in the same week, it could lead to an interesting question over his participation.
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And while Federer won’t be the only player to have to take that call, Guenthardt thinks there’s no way the 20-time Grand Slam winner will go ahead with the Laver Cup plans.
Speaking to Swiss daily Tages Anzeiger said given the unprecedented situation tennis and global sports finds itself in, there aren’t too many alternatives for the French Open authorities, and even if the Grand Slam organisers had spoken to the Laver Cup people it wouldn’t have resolved too many things.
The Swiss Davis Cup captain added:
“Stop saying: ‘Oh God, it’s unbelievable what they did’. Among other things, the players earn so much money thanks to Paris. It is a cornerstone of tennis. How would you stand if you said: ‘I would rather play the Laver Cup than a Grand Slam tournament’.”
“If you had the choice as a tennis fan: Laver Cup or Roland Garros, which would you choose?”
He also reminded the French Open wasn’t just about 12 players but also provided employment to dozens of players down the rankings and it was a no-brainer most players would choose the event at Roland-Garros over Laver Cup.
When asked if Federer will think twice before rescheduling the Laver Cup, Guenthardt said:
“No certainly not. Nor can I imagine Federer insisting on the date of the Laver Cup.”
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