Tony Godsick is one of the most famous faces in the tennis firmament. Agent in his day at IMG of tennis players such as Monica Seles, Lindsay Davenport or Anna Kournikova, he later linked his entire career to the figure of Roger Federer.
The super entrepreneur sat down with MARCA in Berlin.
Question. The Laver Cup began eight years ago in a conversation with Federer in Shanghai. Is it fresh in your mind?
Answer. The first idea was to do something in honor of Rod Laver because he had told Roger that he made more money in one exhibition than he did in his entire career. Roger wanted to recognize his career, with the double Grand Slam in 1962 and 1969. When I left IMG and we founded Team8 is when we thought of a competition similar to the Ryder Cup in golf but in tennis. And Roger suggested the name Laver Cup.
Q. How did you define the format?
A. We wanted rivals, in this case Federer and Rafa Nadal, to be teammates for a weekend. We could not think that in such a short period of time we were going to be so successful. The Ryder Cup has 97 years of history and the Laver Cup has seven. There is a long way to go. We taught the tennis world that innovations are always good because there is a lot of competition in the market with soccer, Formula 1….
Q. From the outside it seems that the Laver Cup in Europe has more followers than in North America.
A. It may seem so, but I remember that Chicago was a total success and Boston the same. I think in the United States there are many sports and therefore a lot of competition with the NBA, NFL? In Europe they play two of the four majors, many Masters 1000, there is a tradition of tennis. Maybe the vision will change now that the team from the Rest of the World has won the last two editions.
Q. Everyone remembers the iconic photograph of Rafa jumping on Roger to celebrate winning the first Laver Cup in Prague.
A. That’s what I like about the tournament, that it gives you the option to have these kinds of images, which you won’t see in any other event. That photo of Nadal jumping into Federer’s arms is iconic, like the one in London when they shook hands excitedly or the image of the two of them motivating Zverev at the O2. In Berlin we have seen Alcaraz next to Björn Borg and Rod Laver. The goal is for different generations to meet and interact, to learn from each other and to know each other’s stories.
Q. Do you see Nadal as the captain of Team Europe in the future?
A. I hope so. My dream is for Roger to be captain and Rafa assistant and then the other way around. In this way, they would be longer in office. The rivalry they both had on the court was very special, but I think the friendship of the two outside is even more special. They are the clear example that all competitors can get along.
Q. Since the new Santiago Bernabeu was built, there have been many rumors about the possibility of Nadal and Federer playing an exhibition match. Is that a real option?
A. Since Roger retired he hasn’t wanted to play another match as long as he doesn’t feel physically well. To my mind comes the record of spectators that they beat in South Africa. We like to do big things. If there is an option to beat that one day, I’m sure Roger will consider it. They both like to collaborate and I like working with Carlos Costa. I have very good memories. We did the half-grass, half-earth exhibition in Mallorca…. Anything is possible in the future.
Q. One of the options on the table as a venue for 2026 is Barcelona.
A. We are working on it and we have several options. On the one hand, there is already a lot of tennis being played in Spain, but it is also true that the Spanish fans have culture and understand the game. It is a country that has had super heroes in this sport.
Q. You have made an official agreement with the ATP for the next five years. Is the next step to share points?
A. Right now, we’ve managed to consolidate ourselves on the calendar. I joke with Andrea Gaudenzi that they should have been the creators of the Laver Cup because of the promotion given to tennis. The points were not important for us at the beginning, but now the United Cup has them and I am not saying that we are not going to have them. Hopefully it will be something that will be dealt with in the future.