Roger Federer has strong views on Djokovic, Coco Gauff and tuxedos

The Laver Cup, which bits Team World against Team Europe, is underway this weekend and the affair is always stylish. Ahead of Friday’s action there was a nice meet-and-greet dinner (for those who are great players or can afford such things), and Roger Federer made his presence. Federer, of course, retired from tennis, but he hasn’t stopped being a familiar face on the tennis scene or commenting on what is happening. After getting 20 Grand Slams, he deserves that right.

Roger Federer has noticed a generation gap in tennis, however. The gap might be good or might be bad. While the older group includes players like Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, there are few excellent players until you reach the players such as Carlos Alcaraz. Once Djokovic retires, and there is no timeline for that, Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Holger Rune will need to continue to play a high level of tennis or interest in the sport will wane.

But the generation gap hasn’t just happened on the ATP side. The WTA has gone a few years without a truly dominant player since Serena Williams began playing fewer tournaments. Roger Federer appears to have high hopes that 2023 US Open champion Coco Gauff can potentially be among the next group of excellent players.

Roger Federer is happy Coco Gauff won the US Open

Federer told Eurosport, “…I was also very happy about Coco Gauff’s victory. I’ve known her for five years, when she was very young, and this was a great victory for her. We have a new world No.1 in women’s tennis (Aryna Sabalenka), Alcaraz, who won Wimbledon….And just the new generational change is really noticeable. It’s a bit of a shame for me that I haven’t been able to play against a few in the last couple of years.”

Of course, as tennis fans we have to know there are always great young players to replace the aging generation. We have been a bit spoiled over the last 15 years with such all-time greats like Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, and Serena Williams to watch. But for tennis to gain new fans, there needs to be a whole a bunch of excellent young players as well. Federer says, “The new players have interesting personalities and tennis is still right up there in the world of sport, and that is beautiful for me to see.”

Roger Federer was also asked about tuxedos, because, well…why not? Federer said the key is to not let the tuxedo wear you. Just know that you look “exceptional” while dressing up. So that’s some excellent advice, right?