WATCH: Carlos Alcaraz warmly greets Casper Ruud, Joao Fonseca meets ‘idol’ Roger Federer as ATP stars arrive in San Francisco for Laver Cup

As the 2025 Laver Cup draws near, the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Ruud and Joao Fonseca have arrived in the Bay Area. World No. 1 Alcaraz has touched down in San Francisco for the tournament and one of his Team Europe teammates was waiting for him.

When the 2025 US Open champion stepped out of the car, Casper Ruud greeted the Spaniard with a warm welcome. The two European teammates shared a friendly moment as they look forward to helping Team Europe assert their dominance over Team World.

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On the Team World side, Brazilian rising star João Fonseca was able to cross one of his bucket list items. He met his "idol," Roger Federer, and posted about the meeting on his Instagram stories.

"“🤯🤯🤯🤯 It was a pleasure to finally meet you Roger,” he said.

In another warm display of greeting, German tennis star Alexander Zverev, who will represent Team Europe, met the 20-time Grand Slam champion as the two did a handshake at the arena where the Laver Cup will be played.

The 2025 Laver Cup, pitting Team Europe against Team World, will be played between September 19-21, 2025, at Chase Center, San Francisco, USA. Team World is captained by tennis legend Andre Agassi while Team Europe is being led by Yannick Noah.

Watch: Joao Fonseca reveals his emotions before meeting "idol" Roger Federer for the first time

Joao Fonseca was literally shaking and "sweating" as he was about to meet Swiss pro Roger Federer at Chase Center. Fonseca documented his experience. Soon Federer came out of the tunnel, and just outside there Fonseca was waiting to greet him.

"Finally, nice to meet you," Federer told Fonseca. "Congratulations on everything so far. Well done. And a great career so far."

"They said to me like 10 minutes ago, you're going to be Roger," Fonseca told Federer.

The two then proceeded to have a chat as Fonseca is making his debut at the Laver Cup and talking with one of the greats of the game might ease up some of his nerves.

Fonseca is part of Team World, which comprises Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur, Francisco Cerúndolo, Alex Michelsen and Reilly Opelka. They will go up against Team Europe, headlined by stars like Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Holger Rune, Casper Ruud, Jakub Mensik and Flavio Cobolli.

The tournament runs over three days from Friday to Sunday. There are five sessions of matches: two sessions each on Friday and Saturday, and one session on Sunday. With 24 total points available, the first team to get to 13 wins. If the score reaches 12-12, there is a final doubles match to decide the champion.

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Krutik Jain

Krutik Jain is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. It was in 2018 when the baseball bug bit Krutik, and already a cricket fan, he credits baseball's rules and Clayton Kershaw's pitching to have hooked him to the game.

A Kershaw and Mookie Betts fan, Krutik rates his favorite team LA Dodgers triumphing over Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series as his best baseball moment so far. His answer to the perennial "one player from the past you could meet" question is Jackie Robinson. Despite never having seen him play, Robinson's impact, legacy and trail-blazing journey have left an indelible impact on Krutik.

A rigorous fact-checker, Krutik likes reporting on the technical aspects of the game as well as off-field elements. When not watching baseball, Krutik is busy playing cricket, staying up to date with the happenings around the world and hiking.

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