The teams
Each team is made up of six players, of which three qualify based on their ATP singles ranking. The other three are picked by each team’s respective captains. Every match won on Day 1 awards one point, on Day 2 two points and on Day 3 three points. The winners are the first team to reach 13 points. Team Europe’s lineup consisted of Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Holger Rune, Casper Ruud, Jakub Mensik and Flavio Cobolli. Yannick Noah captained Team Europe for the first time and Tim Henman was the vice-captain. Team World’s lineup consisted of Taylor Fritz, Alex De Minaur, Francisco Cerundolo, Alex Michelsen, João Fonseca and Reilly Opelka. Andre Agassi captained Team World for the first time and Pat Rafter was the vice-captain.
Day 1
On Day 1, Team Europe dominated, as they won three out of the four matches played, taking a commanding 3-1 lead. The only upset was achieved by João Fonseca as he took out Flavio Cobolli in straight sets. Everything looked to be going according to expectations, as Team Europe were the clear favourites coming into the tournament.
Day 2
After a slow start, Team World had to step up their game to be able to compete against Team Europe and to say they delivered would be an understatement. Team World won every single match in straight sets, completing upset after upset and flipping the scoreboard 9-3 in their favour. The highlight of the day came, when crowd favourite Taylor Fritz beat World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in spectacular fashion.
Day 3
Team Europe now had to make an epic comeback to defend their title, and after three games, it still looked possible, as Alexander Zverev was ready to face Taylor Fritz with the score at 9-12 in favour of Team World. On the other hand, Taylor Fritz had other plans and didn’t disappoint his home crowd, as he defeated Alexander Zverev for the sixth straight time and closed out the Laver Cup, crowning Team World champions once again.
Is the Laver Cup good for tennis?
Before the tournament, there was some speculation around whether the Laver Cup was good for the sport of tennis, seeing as no ATP points are awarded throughout the competition. The Laver Cup brings out fun matchups which some fans may never get to see in other tournaments, without the pressure on the players of having to win every match. Every year the Laver Cup proves to be a spectacle for the viewers and delivers healthy competition between the players. After this year’s tournament, the Laver Cup has once again asserted itself as an exciting tournament in the tennis calendar and will not be leaving any time soon.
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