Team Europe big favorite to win Laver Cup 2024
The Laver Cup will take place again from September 20th to 22nd, 2024. This is the seventh edition of the prestigious tournament, pitting Team Europe (captained by Björn Borg) against Team World, captained by John McEnroe. This year, the German capital Berlin will host the always spectacular tennis at the Laver Cup, and this year's lineup once again boasts many big names. Want to be well-prepared for this year's Rod Laver Cup? Read Sjeng Sports' preview carefully, and you'll know exactly what to expect over the next three days!
A piece of history
The Laver Cup, named after tennis legend Rod Laver, has been on the tennis calendar since 2017. Only in 2020 was the tournament forced to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. While Team Europe won the first four editions, the 2022 and 2023 editions were won by Team World. The 2022 edition, in particular, was historic: not only because Team World defeated the Europeans 13-2, but also because Roger Federer said goodbye at that tournament. Along with his eternal rival Rafael Nadal, he ultimately had to bow to American opponents Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe after a thrilling doubles match, after which the tears began among tennis fans—and Federer and Nadal themselves.
What does the playing schedule look like?
From Friday, September 20th, to Sunday, September 22nd, twelve matches will be played by a variety of players from the international tennis elite. Both Team Europe and Team World will be represented by six players, and all these superstars will compete in both singles and doubles matches. Friday kicks off with three singles matches and a doubles match, followed by a repeat of this format on Saturday. Sunday will begin with a doubles match, followed by three more singles matches if the head-to-head between Team Europe and Team World is still undecided. If one of the two teams reaches the magical number of thirteen points, the overall victory is secured.
But how exactly does the scoring work? Each match won earns one or more points. To keep things exciting for as long as possible, the number of points earned per match increases daily. On Friday, a win earns you one point, on Saturday you earn two points with a win, and on Sunday you can even add three points if you win a match. If the score is still tied after twelve matches, a single doubles set will be played to determine the overall winner of the 2024 Laver Cup.
Who will Team Europe and Team World send to this year's Laver Cup?
Despite the absence of big names like Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner this weekend, Björn Borg's Team Europe will bring plenty of big names to the Berlin hard courts. Carlos Alcaraz, for example, will make his Laver Cup debut and will have only world-class players at his side, including Alexander Zverev , Daniil Medvedev , Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Grigor Dimitrov. Team World captain McEnroe has selected Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, Francisco Cerundolo, Ben Shelton, Alejandro Tabilo, and Thanasi Kokkinakis, thus also boasting high-quality players. Other major players who were present in previous years, such as Tommy Paul, Alex de Minaur, and Felix Auger-Aliassime, will not be playing for Team World this year.
Who is the favorite for the overall victory?
At first glance, Team Europe appears to be the overwhelming favorite to win the 2024 Laver Cup, especially considering the ATP Rankings of the players selected to participate this year. While Team Europe sends world numbers 2 (Zverev), 3 (Alcaraz), 5 (Medvedev), 9 (Ruud), 10 (Dimitrov), and 12 (Tsitsipas), Team World must make do with world numbers 7 (Fritz), 16 (Tiafoe), 17 (Shelton), 22 (Tabilo), 31 (Cerundolo), and 78 (Kokkinakis). However, the Laver Cup is a tournament in itself, and anything can happen—especially in the doubles—making it far from certain that Team Europe will pull off a resounding victory. One thing is certain, however: it will once again deliver some truly spectacular matches at the Uber Arena in Berlin.
The program
The full schedule for the 2024 Laver Cup hasn't been finalized yet. Captains Borg and McEnroe have revealed who will be competing on Friday. Friday's schedule is as follows:
1:00 PM: Casper Ruud (Team Europe, ATP-9) – Francisco Cerundolo (Team World, ATP-31)
2:30 PM: Stefanos Tsitsipas (Team Europe, ATP-12) – Thanasi Kokkinakis (Team World, ATP-78)
7:00 PM: Grigor Dimitrov (Team Europe, ATP-10) – Alejandro Tabilo (Team World, ATP-22)
8:30 PM: Carlos Alcaraz/Alexander Zverev (Team Europe) vs. Taylor Fritz/Ben Shelton (Team World)
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