"I've never been to Chicago. I've never played in Chicago. So for me, I think it's fitting for me to finally come here"
Wednesday 21 March 2018 11:12, UK
Roger Federer is hoping the Laver Cup - live on Sky Sports - can prove popular on US soil as the world No 1 joined Rod Laver, John McEnroe and Nick Kyrgios for the launch.
Federer landed in the 'Windy City' on Monday fresh from shaking off a three-set loss to Juan Martin del Potro in the BNP Paribas Open final at Indian Wells that ended his 17-match winning streak.
He was joined by tennis legends Laver and McEnroe, along with young Australian star Kyrgios to promote the second Laver Cup, which debuted in Prague last year.
Kyrgios lost a tight final singles match to Federer in Prague, which clinched the cup for Team Europe with a 15-9 win. And the Swiss superstar now hopes it proves popular on US soil.
Federer said: "I've never been to Chicago. I've never played in Chicago. So for me, I think it's fitting for me to finally come here, after playing in New York and LA and all sorts of places already here in America, Miami of course as well, every year. So to come to Chicago finally and bring the Laver Cup here as well with the great man standing next to me now [Rod Laver] it's super exciting. So I can't wait."
The Laver Cup pits Team Europe against Team World and after a hugely successful maiden tournament in 2017, the 20-time Grand Slam champion believes it can prove to be a catalyst for other cup competitions.
"I do believe that the Laver Cup has sparked some change, some inspiration to other cups that maybe we'll see in tennis. But that's a good thing. We'll take that as a sign of flattery," added the 36-year-old.
The 2018 Laver Cup will be played from September 21-23 at the United Center in Chicago and you can watch the action live on Sky Sports. The tournament returns to Europe the following year.
You can watch the latest ATP Masters 1000 event on Sky Sports Arena as we head to Crandon Park for the Miami Open.
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