"Everything Roger Federer touches is turning to gold" - Andy Murray's ex-coach on Swiss' success with Laver Cup being 'great for tennis'

Famous coach and tennis analyst Mark Petchey has showered rich praise on Roger Federer in light of the Swiss maestro's latest practice video from the 2024 Laver Cup in Berlin. Having watched the positive reception to the 20-time Major winner's appearance last week, the Brit believes that tennis can still leverage his influence for its development.

Federer hung up his racquet two years ago after several knee injuries. With a primary focus on his family and business ventures, the 43-year-old's involvement with the racquet sport has decreased since then. That said, he has attended the last two editions of the Laver Cup — the team competition he founded in 2017 and chose as the site of his retirement in 2022.

Last Wednesday (September 18), a few clips of Roger Federer hitting groundstrokes during a practice session, just before the beginning of the Laver Cup, began doing rounds on social media. Most fans enjoyed Federer's on-court outing in Berlin, including Andy Murray's former coach Mark Petchey, who had nothing but praise for the Swiss on the recent Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast.

Speaking to host Mitch Michals, Petchey stated that tennis as a product was better with Federer around it. He also praised the 20-time Major winner for being closely involved with Team Europe and Team World's players at the exhibition event.

"Everything he's touching at the moment is turning to gold. Laver Cup, no difference. I just think it's great for tennis that he's remaining close to it... close to the players because of the Laver Cup," Mark Petchey said on the Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast (10:19). "And I think that that is something very different from these big stars. A lot of them have stepped away for a while, he's actually going to remain very visible."

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Mark Petchey on Roger Federer's Laver Cup 2024 appearance: "Sort of feels as if you're around the Beatles"

During the interaction, Petchey also touched upon Roger Federer's effortless ball-striking during his practice hits at the Laver Cup last week. The former player-turned-analyst was in Berlin covering the event for Tennis Channel and expressed great satisfaction at what he witnessed.

"Yeah, he's still striking the ball well. I think when we see Roger when he's out 80, he's still going to strike the ball well," Petchey said. (9:41). "It looked like he was having fun. He said it was nice for him to be back on the court with his kids over the summer. And listen, he's a big star. You've just been in Berlin, and it sort of feels as if you're around the Beatles. It's crazy!"

The 2024 edition of the Laver Cup went 13-11 to Team Europe, as Carlos Alcaraz defeated Taylor Fritz in a winner-takes-all singles clash on Day 3. The victory marked Team Europe's fifth title at the team competition.