What happened behind the scenes at the Laver Cup in 2018 which left Novak Djokovic ‘dying of laughter’

Novak Djokovic has appeared at two Laver Cup tournaments during his tennis career, entertaining fans around the world.

The Serbian star last appeared at the Laver Cup in 2022, alongside Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray for Roger Federer’s final match before retirement.

Djokovic won his opening singles match against Frances Tiafoe before securing another victory alongside Matteo Berrettini in the doubles.

However, it was Djokovic’s day three defeat to Felix-Auger-Aliassime that handed Team World a 10-8 lead.

Tiafoe’s win over Stefanos Tsitsipas in the next match saw Team World win their first-ever Laver Cup title.

Djokovic may have left London with a sour taste in his mouth, but could well have fonder memories of his Laver Cup debut, four years earlier.

Novak Djokovic was ‘dying of laughter’ teaching Jeremy Chardy how to hit backhands at the 2018 Laver Cup

Speaking on the UTS Tour YouTube channel, former Australian Open quarter-finalist Jeremy Chardy looked back upon his experience at the 2018 Laver Cup.

“I remember at the Laver Cup with David [Goffin] in Chicago, he tried to teach me the backhand, do you remember that, with Novak [Djokovic]?” said Chardy.

“Both of them were coaching me. I remember there was Tomas Enqvist, Novak, and David, and they were all trying to explain the backhand to me.

“[Mimicking Goffin] Try, try Jim, as soon as you feel it, it’ll be good.

“They were trying to make me do some kind of loop like this, it was funny, because David and Novak have pretty good backhands and they were explaining it to me and I just couldn’t get it.

“I didn’t feel anything, and we were dying of laughter.

“I’ll never forget it, that damn loop traumatized me.”

Goffin then recalled what Chardy reverted to doing after failing to understand the ‘loop’ technique.

“After that, well, he chipped,” he said.

Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for The Laver Cup
“Forget it guys, I’ll just do this, it’ll be easier,” said Chardy in reply.

How did Novak Djokovic, David Goffin, and Jeremy Chardy perform at the 2018 Laver Cup?

Captain Bjorn Borg selected a strong squad for the 2018 Laver Cup as Team Europe looked to defend the title they won one year earlier.

ATP Rank
Name
Notes

2
Roger Federer
–

3
Novak Djokovic
–

5
Alexander Zverev
–

7
Grigor Dimitrov
–

11
David Goffin
–

16
Kyle Edmund
Captain’s pick

41
Jeremy Chardy
Alternate

Team Europe’s 2018 Laver Cup squad
Traveling as an alternate, Chardy didn’t take to the court in Chicago, but was a core member of Team Europe regardless.

Goffin won his only singles match at the 2018 Laver Cup, taking down Diego Schwartzman, 6-4, 4-6, [11-9], to extend Team Europe’s advantage to 3-0.

Djokovic’s first outing was less successful, as he and Federer came up short against Kevin Anderson and Jack Sock in the doubles.

Losing his second match at the tournament on day two, Djokovic fell victim to the South African once more, handing Team World their first singles victory of the event.

Goffin’s final appearance in 2018 was also unsuccessful, losing to Sock and Nick Kyrgios alongside Grigor Dimitrov.

Neither Djokovic nor Goffin played another match as Team Europe defended their title with a 13-8 victory over Team World.

Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for The Laver Cup
The Belgian star hasn’t returned to the Laver Cup since, with Djokovic making just one more appearance in 2022.

It remains to be seen if either player will take part in San Francisco for the 2025 edition of the Laver Cup, which begins on September 19.

Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev will play for Team Europe later this year, but it will certainly be interesting to see who else completes the line-up.