Carlos Alcaraz won his first match at the Laver Cup on Saturday, beating Ben Shelton in straight sets to level the scores after Team World's fast start.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion famously enjoyed an emotional farewell at the 2022 Laver Cup, when the team event was staged in London's O2 Arena. Federer co-created the Laver Cup and is back as a spectator in Berlin this year. He also raised eyebrows when he took to the iconic black court for a hit earlier in the week.

Roger Federer retired two years ago but his connection to tennis remains stronger than ever. The return of the Laver Cup is another reminder that he never left the stage.

The importance of having Roger Federer close by: "It’s a huge advantage we have. Roger is definitely on our team. He himself does not want to reveal it, but we all know that he is there whenever we need him for important moments, and this is a small advantage that we take with us. They may have Rod, but we have Roger".

Federer is glad to be still involved in tennis, as he looks ahead to this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin, a tournament he helped create. Read more at straitstimes.com.

I think Fritz is going to get Zverev maybe again,” Federer said ahead of day two of the Laver Cup before making similar observations about his game. “Unless Zverev is going