Federer, history, winners: 10 questions about the Laver Cup
Tennis’ version of the Ryder Cup, the Laver Cup is an international men’s team tennis tournament played between Team Europe and Team World. Here is all you need to know about the tournament named after the great Rod Laver
Rod Laver lines up for a photo alongside Team World players and captain John McEnroe and the Team Europe players and captain Bjorn Borg before the start of play at the 2019 Laver Cup
Credit: AI / Reuters / Panoramic
What is the Laver Cup?
The Laver Cup is an international men’s team tennis tournament that is played between Team Europe and Team World (comprising of players from countries outside of Europe). The tournament was styled on the format of golf’s Ryder Cup. It was the brainchild of Roger Federer and his agent, Tony Godsick.
Who is the Laver Cup named after?
The tournament is named after Rod Laver, one of the most iconic players in the history of the sport. Laver is the only player to win the calendar Grand Slam (all four majors in a single season) twice – in 1962 as an amateur and in 1969 – as a pro. Laver is also the last male player to win a calendar Grand Slam.
How are the Laver Cup teams selected?
Each of the two teams – Team Europe and Team World – comprise of of six players. Each team is led by a team captain, who is a former great in the sport. The captains are responsible for selecting the three captain’s picks. They are also responsible for selecting the players for the singles and doubles matches for the three days of the competition. Currently, Bjorn Borg captains Team Europe while Team World is captained by John McEnroe.
Of the six, three players qualify based on their ATP singles ranking as of the Monday following Roland-Garros. The other three players, called “the captain’s picks” are selected by the respective captains and announced by the start of the US Open.
What happened in the 2021 Laver Cup?
Though Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal missed out through injury and Novak Djokovic chose not to play, Team Europe won the competition for the fourth straight time. Their 14-1 win was by far the most comprehensive of any of their victories.
Team World consisted of:
- Felix Auger-Aliassime (ATP No 11) – Qualified by ranking
- Denis Shapovalov (ATP No 12) – Qualified by ranking
- Diego Schwartzman (ATP No 15) – Qualified by ranking
- Reilly Opelka (ATP No 19) – Captain’s pick
- John Isner (ATP No 22) – Captain’s pick
- Nick Kyrgios (ATP No 95) – Captain’s pick
Team Europe consisted of:
- Daniil Medvedev (ATP No 2) – Qualified by ranking
- Stefanos Tsitsipas (ATP No 3) – Qualified by ranking
- Alexander Zverev (ATP No 4) – Qualified by ranking
- Andrey Rublev (ATP No 5) – Captain’s pick
- Matteo Berrettini (ATP No 7) – Captain’s pick
- Casper Ruud (ATP No 10) – Captain’s pick
What is the format of the Laver Cup?
The tournament is played over three days with the first two days consisting of a day and a night session and a day session on the third day.
Four matches – three singles and a doubles – are played each day. All matches are best-of-three sets with ad scoring. If the first two sets are tied, then the third set is a 10-point match tiebreaker.
How do teams earn points in the tournament?
Each win earns the team one point on Friday, two points on Saturday, and three points on Sunday. The first team to earn13 points out of a total 24 points available wins the trophy. If the points are tied at 12:12 at the end of all matches, a fifth match (the “Decider”) is played on the final day to determine the winner.
Where does the tournament take place?
The location of the Laver Cup rotates between different host cities every year. The tournament, alternating between a city in Europe and one in the United States, has been held in the below cities so far –
- 2017 (inaugural edition) – Prague, Czech Republic
- 2018 – Chicago, United States
- 2019 – Geneva, Switzerland
- 2020 – not held due to coronavirus pandemic
- 2021 – Boston, United States
Which city will host the 2022 Laver Cup?
The fifth edition of the Laver Cup will be held at the O2 Arena, in London, from September 23 to 25, 2022.
Which team has won the Laver Cup in the past?
Team Europe have won all the three previous editions this far –
- 2017 – Team Europe defeated Team World 15–9
- 2018 – Team Europe defeated Team World 13–8
- 2019 – Team Europe defeated Team World 13−11
- 2020 – Not played due to Coronavirus
- 2021 – Team Europe defeated Team World 14-1
Do players get ranking points for the Laver Cup?
While it started out as a non-sanctioned event, the tournament became an ATP-sanctioned event in May 2019, but players are not awarded ranking points for the event.
How Can I Get Tickets to the Laver Cup?
Tickets for the 2022 event will become available through the Laver Cup website, via this link.
You can follow the Laver Cup on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
