Player and fan support—and late rally—set up exciting Laver Cup finale

WATCH: Kevin Anderson beats Novak Djokovic in Laver Cup

CHICAGO—Little Diego Schwartzman had match point and couldn’t win it; tall John Isner had match point and couldn’t win it; Jack Sock took Kyle Edmund into a 10-point match tiebreak but couldn’t win that either. All of which left Team World with a mountain to climb as Kevin Anderson took the court on Saturday evening, backed by his leaping, dancing, never-say-die squad, trailing Europe by seven points to one. And the mountain was Novak Djokovic.

But, as it proved on its debut in Prague last year, the fledgling Laver Cup knows how to produce drama. Roger Federer, the instigator of the whole idea, put his racquet where his mouth had led him by saving match point for Europe in Prague. Now Anderson, backed by one of the loudest and most enthusiastic tennis crowds I have ever heard—all 17,000 of them at the United Arena—was being asked to keep Team World in the hunt.

The 6'8" South African, whose fanatical support derived from the fact that he was a once star on the University of Illinois tennis team, did not disappoint. With two Grand Slam finals under his belt at the US Open and Wimbledon, big matches are nothing new to Anderson; he was able to keep his nerve when Djokovic broke him for the second set—the only break of the match—and force a match tiebreak. Anderson proceeded to dominate the overtime session, winning it 10-6, by completing a series of long rallies on a slow, black court with some superb forehand winners.

Team World had started the day trailing 3-1 in points, but with Saturday’s matches counting for two points apiece, Team Europe’s lead after two days became a far more precarious 7-5, with three points for each match on Sunday, after Jack Sock and Nick Kyrgios teamed up to beat David Goffin and Grigor Dimitrov in the day's final match, 6-3, 6-4.

WATCH: Nick Kyrgios and Jack Sock cut Team Europe's lead to 7-5 with doubles win

So the Laver Cup is poised for another exciting final day, just as it was designed to do. Purists may not like it, but the idea of increasing the worth of matches day by day was a deliberate ploy to remove the possibility of a dead Sunday, the possibility of which has been the one problem with the otherwise brilliant concept Dwight Davis came up with at Harvard 118 years ago. Federer is happy to accept ownership of the idea.

“I was definitely involved,” he told media after beating Nick Kyrgios, 6-3, 6-2. “I had some thoughts. There was a bunch of other guys, Tony Godsick [his longtime agent] obviously was one. And then we had to run the system through and through and through to see, like, what if this happens, what if that happens, like what are the possibilities.

"I felt we just needed to make sure that the first match on Sunday definitely had to be relevant. So far the concept has worked well...it feels like you’re never safe. It just keeps you on edge at all times and I think that’s a nice thing.”

It was, of course, Federer’s idea to create this competition to honor his boyhood hero, Rod Laver, by putting his name on the Cup. As a result of careful marketing, that concept has spawned a nice little history lesson for fans as they arrive for the first match of each day. Using old photos and newsreel clips, the giant screens show just why Laver became such a great Grand Slam winning champion. And, of course, the man himself is there to acknowledge the cheers that follow.

The idea is to expand the scope of this idea by throwing a spotlight on other champions of that era. Fred Stolle, who won Forest Hills and the French Open, was a special guest in Chicago; Ken Rosewall was invited, but he finds long distance travel a little difficult these days. There will be others next year where the third edition of the Laver Cup will be held in Geneva.

INTERVIEW: Rod Laver, the man of the weekend

As in Prague, the success of Federer's idea so far has rested not just on the amazing crowd response, but with the enjoyment the players seem to derive from being part of such unique squads. Frances Tiafoe had to fly in from Croatia, playing his first match here just five days after making a gallant effort in the United States' Davis Cup semifinal, which included a five-set fifth rubber.

“It was a bit tough to make the transition," Tiafoe said, "but I wouldn’t have missed this week for anything."

John Isner tackled criticism of the event head on.

“I think you guys can see for yourselves how serious it is out there," he said. "The word ‘exhibition’ is so stupid when it comes to talking about this event. It’s the furthest thing from that.”

Kyrgios, Team World's cheerleader-in-chief, simply loves the team concept.

“You know when someone is playing, it’s not about me," he said. "It’s about doing everything I can to make the guys playing feel comfortable on court or to give them some energy to feed off, anything to help them.”

And even in defeat, Djokovic was positive—chalk that up to the success of the event overall.

“I thought it was very entertaining and I enjoyed it," said Djokovic. "The atmosphere was electric. I got to experience the Laver Cup at its best.

"Just seeing Bjorn Borg on my bench and John McEnroe on the other, how much better can that get? That’s what this event allows you to experience . It’s why it’s quite special.”