The three highest-ranked eligible European players receive automatic Laver Cup invitations each year. Since launching in 2017, the Europe-versus-World event has become closely tied to co-founder Roger Federer, who used the competition for his 2022 farewell. Yet No.1 Jannik Sinner has never played the event despite his status as one of Europe’s leading players. The Italian has cited scheduling conflicts, but Spanish journalist José Morón has questioned whether that fully explains his absence.

“Sinner has never participated in Federer’s Laver Cup. Asked about it last year, the Italian argued that it was because it hadn’t fit into his schedule. Is that really the case?” asked Moron on X. “Upon a little investigation, it seems that the relationship between the two is not very smooth, precisely.”

Their public connection is limited, but it is not nonexistent. At the 2019 Halle Open, Federer’s coach, Severin Lüthi, asked 17-year-old Sinner to warm up the Swiss before a match. Sinner later called the session a special experience and recalled Federer encouraging him to enjoy the process and keep working hard, offering an early glimpse of the respect between them.

Federer later praised Sinner as the Italian began to rise on tour, describing him as an exciting player and a “super-sweet kid.” Those comments suggest a cordial professional regard, though neither man has presented their connection as a close friendship. That distinction sits at the center of the current debate.

As mentioned, when Sinner was asked about his Laver Cup absence at the 2025 US Open, his response was simply, “sometimes it’s neither the right time nor the right schedule.” He has consistently placed rest and preparation above certain high-profile commitments, leaving Morón’s theory open to interpretation rather than confirmation.

On the other hand, players like Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev have embraced the Laver Cup more consistently than Sinner. The Spaniard made his debut in Berlin in 2024, returned for the San Francisco edition in 2025 and will play again in London in 2026. Meanwhile, Zverev has been an even more regular presence, with London marking his seventh appearance. He has featured in every one of Team Europe’s five Laver Cup title-winning teams, making the German one of the event’s most familiar faces.

Still, their participation does not necessarily make Sinner’s decisions unusual. The Laver Cup falls immediately after the US Open and at the start of the Asian swing, a period when players must balance travel, recovery and preparation for the final stretch of the season.

Last year, Jannik Sinner drew criticism from Italian media after opting out of Davis Cup duties to focus on being ready for the 2026 season. His fitness has remained a concern this year, too, with a knee injury keeping him out for more than two months and forcing him to miss the US Open.

However, the World No.1 has not avoided exhibition tennis altogether. He has played the Six Kings Slam in the Middle East in each of the past two years, joining a star-studded field that has also included Alcaraz. The event has offered substantial appearance fees to leading players, making it one of the sport’s most lucrative exhibitions.

The Italian also began the 2026 season by playing an exhibition match against Alcaraz in Incheon, South Korea, before the Australian Open. The world No.3 won the match in straight sets, but Sinner made clear that the occasion was meant to entertain fans as much as prepare both players for Melbourne.

Later, during the Australian Open, Sinner pushed back against any suggestion of public animosity with Federer. Asked about the Swiss great’s comments on his game at Wimbledon, the Italian said he would have loved the chance to face him.

“I definitely would have loved to face Federer. I consider him the most magical tennis player of all time,” Jannik said at the time. “Unfortunately, I arrived on tour a bit late.”

That contrast formed the basis of Morón’s argument. The journalist questioned whether Sinner’s absence from the Laver Cup can be explained solely by his calendar, given his continued participation in the Six Kings Slam.

“I’m taking advantage of this to clarify something I mentioned earlier. I’ve never talked about a bad relationship between Sinner and Federer, but rather that “they have no relationship,” said Moron on X. “That’s very different. That said, I’ll throw out a question: If the Six Kings Slam and the Laver were swapped in the calendar… which one would Jannik go to?”

At its peak, the Laver Cup brought legends like Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic together for Team Europe and gave fans a unique experience of watching the legendary trio as part of the same team. Given that Sinner’s closest rivals will be there again this year, the Italian’s absence robs the audience of the chance to watch the top players of the current generation play together.

While there have been no open rifts between Federer and Sinner, Moron has emphasized the distant nature of the relationship between the two, while the Swiss has a more cordial relationship with Sinner’s rival, Alcaraz.

Looking into Roger Federer and Jannik Sinner’s limited relationship

Moron has dug deep into the apparent lack of relationship between Sinner and Federer, finding that the two do not follow each other on social media. While Federer had some practice sessions with the Italian back in 2019, when Sinner was still a teenager, the two do not have many shared matches.

“I’m not saying they get along badly, because I don’t think that’s the case; rather, their relationship is practically nonexistent. For some reason, Roger and Jannik just don’t get along. Sinner follows Djokovic or Nadal on Instagram, but not Roger. The Swiss, for his part, follows Alcaraz, but not Jannik,” Moron wrote on X. “There are barely a couple of photos of the two of them together over all these years. The last one, from a while back. And it’s not like they haven’t crossed paths at tournaments.

“In fact, Roger has shown up, already retired, at various tournaments where the Italian was playing, but while he’s shared time and photos/videos with Alcaraz, he hasn’t with Jannik.”

Being at the same events is a valid point made by Moron, as Federer was at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon, where Sinner was also in action, but there were no photos of the two together. Back in 2025, the Swiss had attended the Italian’s match against Grigor Dimitrov at SW19, but once again, there were no clicks between the two.

On the other hand, Federer has had a closer bond with Alcaraz. Aside from praising the Spaniard’s electric game, Federer has often shared clips with the seven-time champion. Ahead of the Laver Cup in San Francisco last year, the two were spotted together having a golf session with each other.

Even back in the 2024 Shanghai Masters, Federer sat with Alcaraz in the stands to watch the final between Sinner and Djokovic.

While it is expected that Sinner will soon be part of the Laver Cup, the high-profile event is without the No.1 player in the world for now, as it is scheduled to begin on September 25 in London.