Laver Cup reschedules event from 2020 to 2021; Federer says he'll play

On Friday, the fourth edition of the Laver Cup—the Europe vs. World event originally scheduled for September 25-27 in Boston—was postponed to September 24-26, 2021. It will still be held at the TD Garden.

“We needed to make a decision now on our event,” Laver Cup Chairman and CEO of TEAM8 Tony Godsick said in a press release. “We know our passionate fans will be disappointed that they have to wait an extra year for the Laver Cup in Boston, but this is the responsible course of action, necessitated by the emerging calendar conflicts.”

After a series of tournament postponements and cancellations began just before Indian Wells, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the French Open decided to move its traditional late-May start date to September 20—which meant, in theory, that the Laver Cup would have been contested during Roland Garros. While it is unlikely that scenario would have ever come to fruition, the Laver Cup's decision to reschedule its event today takes such a situation off the table.

The Laver Cup is the tennis event farthest down the calendar that has been postponed or cancelled. At the moment, no ATP or WTA tournaments will be played through Wimbledon, in early July; on Thursday, ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said a decision will be made on the viability of the US Open in June.

“It’s unfortunate that the Laver Cup has to be pushed back a year, but at this stage it’s the right thing to do for everyone concerned,” 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer explained.

For those wondering how the changing tennis calendar could impact Federer's theoretical retirement, the 38-year-old added that he is planning to play in the rescheduled event. He will be 40 on September 25, 2021.

“Although disappointing, the good news is that TD Garden will still be able to host the event next year and I really look forward to finally playing in Boston for the first time at Laver Cup 2021.”

We will continue to update this story with any further developments.