🎾 Laver Cup London at The O2 is the cue for a Europe v The World showdown featuring a mouthwatering line-up of tennis superstars from the ATP Tour.
NEWSFLASH: LAVER CUP LONDON 2022 IS A WRAP!
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CONGRATULATIONS to Team World – captained by John McEnroe whose team comprised Taylor Fritz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Diego Schwartzman, Frances Tiafoe, Alex de Minaur, Jack Sock and Tommy Paul – who fought back from a 4-8 deficit to upset the reigning Team Europe champions 13-8 at the fifth edition of the tournament. A huge week of tennis at The O2 also saw sporting legend Roger Federer bring the curtain down on his illustrious career. Stay tuned here for news of the return of the Laver Cup to London.
2022 EVENT PREVIEW
All tennis roads lead to the Greenwich Peninsula over the next three days for Laver Cup London which pits the six top European men’s players against six of their counterparts from the rest of the world for the fifth edition of this unique international team tournament.
The teams will be captained by tennis royalty in the shape of Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe who lead Team Europe and Team World respectively.
The Laver Cup (full intro below) takes place every year and each six-player team is led by a team captain who is a legend of the sport. This year’s event promises to be extra special with the one and only Rafael Nadal (who became the first man ever to win 22 Grand Slam titles at the French Open in June) already confirmed for TEAM EUROPE along with fellow all-time great Roger Federer who has 20 Grand Slam titles to his name.
During the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, it was confirmed that three-time Grand Slam singles champion Andy Murray will make his tournament debut at Laver Cup London. And that news was followed shortly after by the announcement reigning Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic (who took his tally of Grand Slams to 21 on the grass at SW19) will join Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray in a dream Team Europe line-up.
“I’m really excited to be joining Team Europe again for the Laver Cup at London’s O2 arena in September,” said Djokovic.
“It’s the only competition where you can play in a team environment with guys that you’re normally competing against and to be joining Rafa, Roger and Andy – three of my biggest all-time rivals – it’s going to be a truly unique moment in the history of our sport.”
Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Murray have been part of a golden era in tennis, collectively dominating the sport in the 21st century and becoming known as the ‘Big Four’. The quartet has captured 66 of the past 76 Grand Slam singles titles (Nadal – 22, Djokovic – 21, Federer – 20 and Murray – 3), won every Wimbledon men’s singles title since 2003 and held the top spot in the rankings for 18 consecutive years from February 2004-February 2022.
Team Europe captain Bjorn Borg added, “I don’t think I could have imagined having these four icons of the sport on one team together. I know they, like I, appreciate the significance of this moment and will be truly up for it. Each year our goal is to win. With Rafa, Roger, Andy and Novak on the team, I like our chances.”
Rounding off a dream Team Europe line-up are world No.5 Stefanos Tsitsipas and world No.7 Casper Ruud, appearing in their third and second Laver Cup respectively.
Jack Sock will join TEAM WORLD’S campaign to overthrow defending champions Europe. Sock has accumulated the most points [16] to date for Team World, winning seven of nine doubles matches, and one singles match, while playing in the first three editions of the Laver Cup on Captain John McEnroe’s side.
Joining as a Captain’s Pick, he was the fourth player named to Team World’s 2022 roster after Felix Auger-Aliassime, Taylor Fritz and Diego Schwartzman. Big-serving American John Isner and Australia’s top-ranked player Alex de Minaur complete the six-man line-up for Team World.
World No.48 Isner is returning for his fifth Laver Cup and will be the only player to have competed at every event since the first edition at Prague 2017. World No.20 De Minaur is a newcomer to the competition.
“This is a highly accomplished and competitive team,” said McEnroe. “Isner brings a wealth of experience and a record of success in singles and doubles at the Laver Cup. He is a consummate professional and a leader on the court.
“Alex is a great fighter, and it’s exciting to have him join the team. He will thrive in this environment and has earned his spot with his play!”
A dramatic black court will be constructed within the 20,000-seat arena at The O2 for the tournament, which takes place over three days. There are four matches each day comprising three singles and doubles – the first team to reach 13 points (out of a total 24 points) wins the cup. If the points are tied at 12:12 at the end of all matches, a fifth match (Decider) on Sunday is played to determine the winner.
The current holders are Team Europe who won the tournament for a fourth time in a row in 2021.
Tickets are off sale.
Tournament five-session schedule as follows:-
🎾 Session 1 ~ Friday 23 September from 1pm.
🎾 Session 2 ~ Friday 23 September from 7pm.
🎾 Session 3 ~ Saturday 24 September from 1pm.
🎾 Session 4 ~ Saturday 24 September from 7pm.
🎾 Session 5 ~ Sunday 25 September from 12 noon.
🚊🚗 Travel tips: Getting to The O2 via tube is recommended. North Greenwich station is right on the doorstep and on the Jubilee Line in Zones 2 and 3. Get there from Central London in 20 minutes, or Stratford in 10 minutes. Arrival by river, car, bus and cable car is also available. See this ‘Getting to The O2‘ guide for full details.
About the Laver Cup
The Laver Cup tournament pits six top European players against six of their counterparts from the rest of the World.
Played on one competition hard court in a retractable roof stadium or indoor arena, the event takes place every year (the second week after the US Open) with the location rotating between Europe and the rest of the world cities each year.
Captains and players – Each team is comprised of six players, and led by a team captain, who is a legend of the sport. The captain of Europe is Bjorn Borg, and the captain of Team World is John McEnroe. The captains are responsible for selecting the three captain’s picks as well as the players for singles and doubles matches.
Three of the six players qualify based on their ATP singles ranking as of the Monday following the French Open. Three are “captain’s picks”, announced by the start of the US Open.
Days and sessions – The event is played over three days. On Friday and Saturday, there is a day and night session followed by a final single day session on Sunday. Each day four matches are played – three singles and a doubles. Both singles and doubles are best of three sets with ad scoring. In the event of split sets, the third set is a 10-point match tiebreaker.
Each player competes in at least one singles match during the first two days. No player can play singles more than twice during the three days. At least four of the six players must play doubles. No doubles combination is played more than once, unless for the Decider on Day 3, if points are 12:12.
The winning team must reach 13 points. In the event of a tie after all 12 matches are played, a final overtime doubles match – a Decider – is played as a regular set with ad scoring and a tiebreak. In the event that only one match is required on Sunday, a doubles exhibition match is played.
Lineups – Friday’s lineup is announced on Thursday afternoon. Saturday’s lineup is announced an hour after play ends on Friday night. Sunday’s lineup is announced an hour after play ends on Saturday night. Match-ups are determined through the exchange of lineup cards by the captains.
Points scoring – Each match win is worth one point on Friday, two points on Saturday, and three points on Sunday.
How to win the Laver Cup – The first team to reach 13 points out of a total 24 points available wins the Laver Cup. If the points are tied at 12:12 at the end of all matches, a fifth match (Decider) on Sunday is played to determine the winner.
The 2022 tournament – Laver Cup London takes place at The O2 from Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th September 2022.
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