All the epically cool moments from Laver Cup that made it the must-see tennis event of the year

This year’s Laver Cup had lots of surprises, a dramatic surge from Team World who almost won on the final day, and a chance to see the world’s biggest stars in tennis celebrate the joy and love for the sport.

OK, first of all, Team Europe won. The result was no surprise. But it wasn’t necessarily a slam dunk.

Team Europe started out dominating, as was expected since they had the highest ranked players. Team World only won one match on the first day, a shock loss for the marquee doubles pairing of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. But once we got to day two, World found some juice at the end of the day, with Kevin Anderson and the doubles team of Nick Kyrgios and Jack Sock clocking in the double point wins. By the final day, the World doubles team again knocked out Federer and Alexander Zverev, putting them ahead for the first time. But the European pair bounced back to seal the cup for their continent in singles. Still, it was a dramatic finish, with the results hovering in the air all day.

There were tense singles matches featured Grigor DImitrov and Federer as coaches. Watching great rivals Federer coaching Djokovic is just something you would never see anywhere else.

Fed’s coaching tips really seemed to help Zverev, who employed his advice and won the crucial match that cinched the win for the team. Clearly, Federer will have a fine career as a celebrity tennis coach once he retires.

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Who could forget an epic moment like Federer and Djokovic teaming up to play doubles? They lost, but hey, it was all in great fun and a delight for tennis fans everywhere.

Nick Kyrgios was an utter delight in the team event. Seriously, the guy’s issues in tennis tournaments could be solved by having him be surrounded by a bunch of blokes he likes to hang out with. He clearly thrives in a team environment, and he’s so much more watchable in a group tennis event.

Another priceless Kyrgios moment, watching him tag team with coach John McEnroe to complain against the umpire was just pure tennis gold.

One of the best parts of the Laver Cup is its love for the sport of tennis, past and present. It’s named after “the rocket,” the legendary Rod Laver himself—the only person to win the Calendar Grand Slam, and twice—an icon in the sport. The event spans generations of who love the game, with co-captains John and Patrick McEnroe against captain Bjorn Borg, all legends in the game. Borg even said it’s the best week of the year for him.

Chicago was also the big winner as well. Tennis is not a sport the town is known for, but the city put on a great show for the Laver Cup and impressed everyone, with many hoping to see it return to the windy city again.

And who could forget the entertaining antics on the part of Team World? Sock’s confident posing is probably my favorite, but there were so many others.

The design of the Laver Cup was sleek and gorgeous.

Djokovic’s antics during the event. He self-depreciatingly said he didn’t contribute much to Team Europe’s win (he lost in singles and doubles), but was an enthusiastic participant throughout, saying playing with Federer was a “tennis dream,” that he would like to do again. Pretty humbling for the top guy in tennis right now, holding two slams this year and first in rankings for the ATP Race to London.

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The camaraderie from both teams was infectious for fans and players alike.

But of course, Team Europe won and celebrated with hilarious gusto. These guys look like they had a blast.

The Laver Cup is a gift to tennis fan, proving to be an irresistible display of love for the sport of tennis, camaraderie among rivals, and a treasured experience in the sport. The five-session event drew over 90,000 spectators and was a tremendous success in a city where major tennis events are rare. Well done, and see you in Geneva next year.