The annual tennis calendar sees all the grand slam action rounded up by September. However, the on-court action does not end there. In the last few years, fans have seen a new addition to the men’s season that has quickly gained a huge following. The Laver Cup is the kind of innovative idea that supporters have found to be different from conventional events. You are either backing Team Europe or Team World. The format of the three-day tournament is quite original as well.
There are 12 matches played with four on each day. The key difference between each day’s play is that only one point is awarded to a team for winning a match on the first day. On the second day, the stakes are higher as two points are awarded per win. The final day is the most decisive one as three points are given for winning a match. The unequal distribution of points on different days ensures that neither team can take home the Laver Cup before the third day’s play.
So who gets to be on Team Europe and Team World? The players are eligible to play for the respective teams based on their nationality. There are six players on each side. The first three qualify based on the ATP rankings following the Wimbledon Championships of that year. The remaining three spots on the roster are determined by “captain’s picks” around the time of the US Open. But who are the captains?
Laver Cup Team Leaders
The Laver Cup’s Team Europe is captained by Björn Borg while Team World is led by John McEnroe. Tennis fans have always been fascinated by the historic on-court rivalry between the Swedish Borg and the American McEnroe. The Laver Cup allows them to lock horns once again on a yearly basis.
Björn Borg is a former world number one who won 11 grand slam titles during the 1970s and early 1980s. He won the French Open on six occasions and Wimbledon five times in a row. He was ATP Player of the Year for five straight years between 1976 and 1980. The 1956-born icon was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987.
John McEnroe was a contemporary of Borg and a former world number one himself. He won seven grand slam singles titles, nine majors in the doubles and one in the mixed doubles category. The 1959-born American also won the Davis Cup five times. He won singles at Wimbledon three times and at the US Open four times. He was chosen as an International Tennis Hall of Famer in 1999.
Who are the vice captains of Laver Cup 2023?
Thomas Enqvist and Patrick McEnroe are the vice-captains of Team Europe and Team World respectively. Enqvist is of Swedish nationality like team captain Björn Borg while Patrick McEnroe is the younger brother of John McEnroe. Both vice captains have had success in the Davis Cup. Enqvist won it twice consecutively as a player in 1997 and 1998 while Patrick McEnroe was the winning non-playing captain in 2007. Their role would be crucial for the respective teams in the 2023 Laver Cup.
FAQs
A. Team Europe in the 2023 Laver Cup will have Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Arthur Fils, Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud, Hubert Hurkacz and Gaël Monfils. Team World will be represented by Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, Félix Auger-Aliassime, Ben Shelton and Francisco Cerúndolo (Christopher Eubanks and Milos Raonic, as alternatives).
A. Thomas Enqvist is the vice-captain of Team Europe in the 2023 Laver Cup. He is a Swedish former world number four.
A. No, Roger Federer does not own the Laver Cup. He is the co-creator of the tournament.
A. Each team has six players in the Laver Cup. Three players qualify automatically on the basis of their ATP rankings after Wimbledon is completed in that year. The remaining three are nominated as “captain’s picks” around the time the US Open begins.
