‘It was amazing,’ Rod Laver and Roger Federer receive ovations at Laver Cup

Rod Laver and Roger Federer both received huge standing ovations in Boston as the Laver Cup got underway at the TD Garden.

Laver, who remains the only player to complete the Calendar Slam in the Open Era, walked onto court before the opening match and was met with a raucous applause from the US crowd.

It was a joyful, emotional moment for the Australian, and American tennis legend Jim Courier commented on the reception Laver received on Eurosport as he joined Barbara Schett.

Schett had said: “This is a special moment with the standing ovation for Laver – and I actually got goosebumps.”

Courier responded: “It was amazing, yeah.

“There’s so much energy for the players, but the standing ovation when The Rocket took to the court, the amount of cameras that came up for photos and videos of the great man, it’s special.

Whenever Rod is around the sport, the players love it, the fans love it, it’s just awesome to see.”

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Rapturous applause from all corners of the arena ahead of the @LaverCup as Rod Laver was introduced to the crowd…

What a beautiful moment ❤️ pic.twitter.com/xZZlxbbpXo

— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) September 24, 2021

During the contest between Casper Ruud and Reilly Opelka, the face of Roger Federer flashed up on the big screens at TD garden, which was met with a huge roar around the arena.