The Ryder Cup-style event has struggled financially since its legendary founder, Roger Federer, retired but still offers a spectacle unlike any other in tennis
The sight of a tennis player marching to the bathroom between sets has become increasingly common in modern tennis but Alexander Zverev’s journey back to the locker room in Prague nine years ago remains particularly remarkable. On this occasion, Zverev happened to be sandwiched between two of the greatest male players of all time. Neither legend was happy.
To his right, an incensed Roger Federer spent their walk back to the locker room brutally laying down the law: “I want a fistpump or a ‘Let’s go!’ every fucking point you win,” he said. “And every point you lose, you fucking take it like a man. Because the problem is, when you don’t have the [result] you want, it’s like: ‘Ah, I knew it. Fuck, shit.’ I don’t want … honestly!”
