NY Times · Sep 21, 2017
For Laver Cup, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal Are on the Same Side
From left, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver at a ceremony in Prague for the Laver Cup, a new team tennis event.PRAGUE — In the back seat of a new van in an old city, a stubble-faced Rafael Nadal was laughing hard on my right and a stubble-faced Roger Federer was laughing harder on my left.
The topic was doubles, which Federer and Nadal will most likely play together in earnest for the first time at the inaugural Laver Cup this weekend.
Nadal first lobbied to play doubles with Federer in 2006.
“I made him wait,” Federer joked, with a baritone giggle. “When you make somebody wait, they appreciate it more, so that’s why he’s so excited.”