Some tennis fans were willing to pay up to £15,000 to witness Roger Federer’s last match. After the US Open, Federer announced his plans to retire after the Laver Cup. Seven days later, Federer’s career came to an end at the Laver Cup in London.
In the final match of his career, Federer teamed up with Rafael Nadal for a doubles match. The £15,000 is more than twice the price of a ticket for this year’s Qatar World Cup final. But Vision4Sport director Chris Newbold has an explanation for why Federer’s ticket was so prized.
Some fans paid up to £15,000 to see Federer’s Laver Cup match
“You can pay to go and watch Federer and you know you are going to see Federer. Whereas you may pay to go to watch Argentina at the World Cup and Messi might be injured, he might not have played the whole game, you’re paying to watch the team not the individual.
It’s a tough comparison to make but I think Federer captures everyone’s imagination more than any other sportsman that we’ve seen in the modern era. Fans at the Laver Cup were willing to pay up to £15,000 for an exhibition match knowing that this was going to be Federer’s last hurrah,” Vision4Sport director Chris Newbold said, as quoted on Tennis Majors.
When tennis fans paid a ticket price for the Laver Cup, they knew they would get Federer. When it comes to the World Cup final, there is no guarantee that there will be Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. “We’ve seen uncertainty around the host country, uncertainty around the cost of living at home and what you’re going to be able to do when you’re actually there, leading to a dramatic dip in demand.
It’s almost like the stock market when people leave it so late to book tickets. In the immediate aftermath of the semi-finals, for 24 to 36 hours, that price for the final will hit up to £6,000. Those sums could tail off as people realise that probably isn’t good value for money at the moment,” Newbold explained.
