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Tennis world erupts over Federer and Djokovic announcement

Roger Federer has sent tennis fans into a frenzy with a huge announcement regarding Novak Djokovic.

Federer and Djokovic have played against each other 46 times throughout their storied careers.

From Monaco to Shanghai and everywhere in between. Regular, run-of-the-mill tournaments and major finals.

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But on Saturday, they will play on the same side of the net for the very first time.

Federer and Djokovic will close out the first day of the second edition of the Laver Cup when they take on Jack Sock and Kevin Anderson.

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic will team up for the first time. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images for The Laver Cup)
Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic will team up for the first time. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images for The Laver Cup)

Federer and Djokovic are playing for Team Europe, while Sock and Anderson are competing for Team World in the Ryder Cup-style event.

“We have had so many great battles in all the singles courts, and to finally team up together I think is going to be very special for both of us,” Federer said on Friday.

“I think we still have to talk over it a little bit exactly maybe either who’s going to take the lead or, you know, how do we play exactly.”

Understandably, fans have reacted with huge excitement over the dream doubles pairing.

The pairing of Federer and Djokovic adds a little spice to an event long on star power and light on any real stakes.

While world No. 1 Rafael Nadal and No. 4 Juan Martin del Potro are out with injuries, the Laver Cup has seven of the top 11 players in the ranking and 10 of the top 20.

Federer and his management team played a key role in the creation of the event, and the Swiss star helped lead Team Europe to the victory last year in Prague.

The inaugural edition also was marked by a splashy doubles pairing involving Federer, who teamed with Nadal for the first time for a 6-4, 1-6, 10-5 victory over Sock and fellow American Sam Querrey.

Asked about the matchup with Federer and Djokovic, Sock cracked: “Who’s that?”

Team Europe. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images for The Laver Cup)
Team Europe. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images for The Laver Cup)

“Yeah, obviously going to be a legendary team,” he continued “We got a little bit of it last year.”

Djokovic and Federer last played against each other in the Cincinnati final on Aug. 19, when Djokovic won 6-4, 6-4 to become the player to claim all nine ATP Masters 1000 events since the series started in 1990. Djokovic leads the all-time series with 24 victories.

“This is what this competition is all about, you know, bringing us all together,” Djokovic said.

How Djokovic and Federer do together remains to be seen. Sock is one of the world’s top doubles players, and the 32-year-old Anderson, who is from South Africa and played in college at the University of Illinois, is having a terrific year.

But the possibilities for the talented pairing sure looked pretty good.

“I think I will take the deuce side. If Novak is OK with that, I will be happy to play on the deuce side,” Federer said when asked where each player might set up.

“I think I’m OK on the backhand,” Djokovic said with a grin.

with AP