Last Updated on September 23, 2022
The Laver Cup. What is the Laver Cup? The Laver Cup is an annual tennis Tournament that is based on similar principles to the Ryder Cup in Golf. And so the Laver Cup is to Tennis what the Ryder Cup is to Golf.
The Laver Cup competition is founded on the concept of two teams based on nationality. The first Team is Team Europe – comprising of athletes from European countries. The second Team is Team World comprising players from all other countries not in Europe.
So basically The Laver Cup is Europe versus The rest of the World like 13th-century Global politics. Obviously, not all tennis players get to represent so what are the criteria for Entry
First Let’s talk about the team structure, Both Laver Cup teams have a team captain and six players each. Three players of the six from each team get to participate based on their ATP singles rankings.
The other three players are picked by the Team Captains, based on what criteria? Who knows? But the captains are Legendary Tennis players so they know a thing or two about winning Tennis.
Now let us examine the competition Format. Twelve matches will be played over three days. These include Nine singles matches and three doubles.
I mentioned the number of days right? THREE. The number of days is important because the competition points a team gets for a victory are different based on the Day the victory was achieved.
Match Victories on Day 1 equals 1 POINT, Match victories for Day 2 equals 2 POINTS and, Match victories on Day 3 equals 3 POINTS. First to get to thirteen points wins.
With Day 3 having the most points, you might want to save the best players for last but what if you accumulate a huge deficit early on? Here strategy is needed, that must be why they have those Legendary Players as captains.
Now Let’s examine ten interesting things you should know about the 2022 Laver Cup.
1. This is the Fifth edition of the Laver Cup.
Now while the Ryder Cup has been around for almost a century having been established in 1927, the Laver Cup in all its glory was only established in the year 2017.
The Laver Cup is meant to be an annual tournament that rotates between host cities especially those without an ATP tour event. It also alternates yearly between cities in Europe and the rest of the World.
The 2020 edition of the tournament was meant to be the fourth edition but was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The fourth edition held in 2021 and the 2022 Edition is only the fifth.
So the Laver Cup is a very young tournament when you compare it to the histories of the Grand slams and other hallowed Tennis tournaments but it is gaining steam and prestige.
2. The World hopes for its first triumph.
Team Europe is absolutely crushing it in the Laver Cup. Team Europe won the first edition of the Laver Cup held at the O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic, and has since then established a monopoly on the tournament.
Four editions, four straight victories for Europe. Team World is looking to do better and would want to avoid a repeat of the last edition’s performance.
Team Europe was victorious at the fourth edition of the Laver Cup with 14 – 1 points. That tournament was a one-sided event and the fans wouldn’t want a repeat of that.
So the World holds its breath while Team World improves on its performance and hunts for a first Laver Cup victory.
3. The Laver Cup Captains are Ice and Fire.
Let’s talk team captains. The same two guys have had the job since the inception of the Laver Cup. Someone had to explain the inaugural competition to the chosen six-up steps the captain.
Someone has to build team harmony – it’s the captain’s job. We need to decide who gets to play and when they play – go find the captain. Remember the ‘captains picks’, yes that is also the captain’s job. Players have come and gone but these captains have remained through the years. So let’s meet these masters of strategy.
First up, Team Europe Captain Bjorn “the Iceman” Borg. Swedish legend Borg won 11 Grand Slam titles during his playing career. He was known for being cool, calm, and collected earning him the nickname the Ice Man.
Team World Laver Cup captain is John McEnroe, a fiery Character who as a player was always getting into trouble with umpires and the tennis Authorities. The gifted American won seven Gram Slam singles during his playing time and enjoyed a decent rivalry with Bjorn Borg.
4. The Big Four will play together.
The 2022 Laver Cup will be the first time the big four have played together in the competition. The Big Four are Roger Federer(Switzerland), Rafa Nadal(Spain), Novak Djokovic(Serbia), and Andy Murray( Great Britain).
The big four dominated the ATP Tour for a large part of the last two decades and All four players are slated to appear for Team Europe for the first time at the Laver Cup. It would present an opportunity for these great rivals to work together for a change.
5. Host City for the 2022 Laver Cup is London.
London, famous in the World of Sports for being home to Wembley and over half a dozen English Premier League clubs has been chosen as the host City for the 2022 Laver Cup.
The famous O2 arena is the venue for the Laver Cup. The O2 arena was used at the 2012 London Olympics and played host to the ATP Tour finals from 2009 – 2020.
6. No Ranking Points for the Competition.
In 2019, the Laver Cup became formally recognized by the ATP as an ATP Tour event but no ranking points are awarded for participation in the tournament. So rewards for participation in the Laver Cup are only monetary.
7. Murray and De Minaur will make their debut.
Great Britain’s Andy Murray will be participating in his first Laver Cup. The former World Number 1 has three Grand Slam singles titles to his name. Sir Andrew Murray is a brilliant tactician on the tennis courts and is sure to delight tennis fans at this prestigious event.
Joining Murray in making a Laver Cup Debut will be “The Minotaur”. Australian first seed Alex De Minaur is a new addition to the team World ensemble. A true citizen of the World, De Minaur has a Spanish mother, and an Uruguayan father and was born in Australia. A born fighter, De Minaur brings an extra spark to Team World.
Another player that could make his debut at the 2022 Laver Cup is American Sensation Tommy Paul who is coming off a fine season. Paul has been named as an alternate for Team World.
8. A Federer – Nadal Doubles is on the books.
A Federer versus Nadal match over the last two decades has always been a mouth-watering, heart-in-hand encounter. As sensational as these encounters were, they were frequent. The pair battled themselves across several courts to the delight of the fans.
Now a Federer – Nadal competitive double where they are on the same side, is a rarity, almost as rare as a unicorn.
But Nadal and Federer have played together before, in Prague at the first edition of the Laver Cup. Nadal/Federer for Team Europe against Sam Querrey/Jack Sock for Team World. The great men emerged victorious.
Promises have been whispered about a Federer – Nadal Doubles link-up for the first day of the Laver Cup 2022. Fans and spectators would once more love to see old rivalries put aside for the glory of Europe.
9. The Laver Cup Courts are BLACK.
The O2 arena has been inlaid with an indoor Hardcourt surface for the 2022 Laver Cup. And the courts are black in colour. Most professional tennis hardcourts come in shades of blue and green but the Laver Cup is the Laver Cup, and black is their distinguished court colour.
10. This is the last Hurrah for Federer.
Swiss Maestro Roger Federer has announced that he intends to stop playing professional tennis after he has participated in the 2022 Laver Cup.
The Laver Cup is Federer’s brainchild and he seems to have chosen this occasion to take a curtain call on his two decades of greatness.
Federer is a 20-time Grand Slam Champion and has the second most ATP singles titles in history with 103. But injuries have lately hampered the great man – He has only played in three of the last 11 Grand Slams.
Federer hasn’t competed professionally since the 2021 Wimbledon, he promised a possible return from injury for late 2022 but has now announced that all good things eventually come to an end and so has his professional career.
A sad, sad day for tennis fans all over who had become entranced by the ethereal sight of Roger Federer on a tennis court. The world shall not soon see his kind.
Video: 10 Things You Should Know About Laver Cup 2022
So the stage is set. The courts are laid and the players for the 2022 Laver Cup tour London. Let’s present the players –
TEAM EUROPE: Roger Federer( Switzerland), Rafa Nadal(Spain), Novak Djokovic(Serbia), Sir Andy Murray(Great Britain), Stefano Tsitsipas( Greece), Casper Ruud(Norway); Alternates: Mateo Berrettini(Italy), Cameron Norrie(Great Britain).
TEAM WORLD: Taylor Fritz(USA), Felix Auger-Aliassime(Canada), Diego Schwartzman(Argentina), Frances Tiafoe(USA), Alex de Minaur(Australia), Jack Sock (USA); alternate: Tommy Paul( USA).
All seems set for an Epic for the history books so let us sit back and enjoy the show.
