"Without Federer, the Laver Cup Collapses": the Alarming Numbers of a Tournament in Crisis

© AFP

Arthur Millot

le 22/09/2025 à 13h11

2 min to read

Federer

Could the Federer myth sustain an entire tournament? The Laver Cup reveals a fragile model, between abysmal losses and hopes of historic profitability in 2025.

When Roger Federer bid farewell in London in 2022, the entire tennis world held its breath. This moment of global emotion also offered the Laver Cup its commercial peak, with a net profit of +3.5 million pounds that year.

But what followed was quite different. In 2023, the tournament showed a net loss of 1.8 million. In 2024, despite unspecified "non-tournament revenues" that already raise questions, losses still amount to 1.5 million. And for 2025? The organizers promise "historic profitability," but the equation seems quite challenging to solve.

Ticket sales, the financial backbone of the event, fell from 17.5 to 12.5 million. Merchandise follows the same downward trend: from 1.9 to 1 million. This decrease is no surprise. The tournament was designed around one man: Roger Federer. His absence on the court, now permanent, leaves a void that neither Alcaraz nor any young prodigy is currently filling.

But the real hemorrhage is structural: expenses jumped by 7 million between 2021 and 2023. The cause: a risky strategic choice—the annual roaming of the Laver Cup.

Organized each year in a new city—Boston, London, Vancouver, or even Berlin—the tournament has to deal with fluctuating logistical costs, unequal-sized stadiums, and constant uncertainty regarding ticket sales.

This nomadic model, inspired by the Ryder Cup, has proven to be extremely financially fragile today.

In this context, the announcement of a return to London in 2026 takes on a whole new meaning. More than a logistical choice, it's an attempt to refocus the tournament in a strong, known market historically favorable to the Laver Cup (and Federer).

Some observers see it as the beginning of a lasting refocus, or even a progressive settling of the event.

One detail raises even more questions: the "non-tournament revenues" line in the 2024 accounts. It helps to artificially reduce losses without precise explanation. Several sources suggest discreet but financial support from Federer himself, keen to protect his tournament.

Officially, neither the Swiss entourage nor the Laver Cup organization has commented on this information. But one thing is certain: without his aura or his wallet, the tournament seems hardly viable.

As a reminder, the Laver Cup is financed by the Australian and American tennis federations, as well as Jorge Paulo Lemann, a former Davis Cup player turned billionaire, a Swiss-Brazilian citizen.