The Laver Cup has brought a new dimension to tennis action in recent years. Fans would normally support individual players throughout the year across all four majors. Occasionally, they would also root for their favorite players’ national teams in tournaments like the Davis Cup. However, the idea of a contest between an All-Star Europe team and an All-Star World side was initially thought to be the stuff of dreams. But then in 2017, the dream came true.
The Laver Cup was first played in 2017. At least for one event in the tennis calendar, people no longer had to choose between Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic as they would all form part of a dream team representing Europe. In the 2022 edition, the trio was joined by another men’s tennis icon, Andy Murray, to make it a fantastic four of superstars. However, the lineup being assembled did not have the desired effect as it was Team World that walked away with the win for the first-ever time after having lost the first four editions of the Laver Cup.
While the Laver Cup might feel like an exhibition tournament, it is certainly anything but that. It is meant to be the equivalent of golf’s Ryder Cup. This raises an important question.
What is the prize money at the Laver Cup?
The total prize money at the Laver Cup comes to $2.25 million. This is distributed among the winning and losing teams in a two-to-one ratio. So, in a way, everybody stands to gain a significant amount regardless of the result. Each team nominates six members before the tournament. A member of the winning team will take home a check for $250,000 while a member of the losing team stands to gain $125,000.
Additionally, each participant is also awarded a fee for appearing for their respective teams. This is based on their ATP ranking, meaning the higher the ranking of a player, the more they will be compensated for participating in the Laver Cup. However, the details of this tournament fee are kept away from the public domain. There is no way to know for sure how much money each player makes by playing at the Laver Cup.
Which player has won the most Laver Cups?
Alexander Zverev holds the record for winning the most number of Laver Cups with four wins to his name. He was a part of the winning Team Europe every time they defeated Team World. In fact, one can even say Zverev was their lucky charm since the only time he was not a part of the team, in 2022, Team Europe ended up on the losing side. Team Europe will be hoping that this streak does not continue in 2023 as the German will not be on their roster once again.
FAQs
A. Each member of the losing team at the Laver Cup receives a prize money of $125,000. This is exactly half the amount received by each member of the winning team.
A. Three of the six-member team qualify for the Laver Cup based on their ATP rankings immediately after the Wimbledon Championships of that year. The other three members of each team are picked by the respective team captains. Team Europe’s captain is Bjorn Borg and Team World’s captain is John McEnroe.
A. The US Open is the tennis tournament that offers the highest prize money with a total of $65 million awarded in 2023.
A. Roger Federer will make an appearance at the 2023 Laver Cup to mark the first anniversary of his retirement from professional tennis. He will be honored at the tournament and will have the opportunity to flip the coin for the toss before the final match.
