The Laver Cup is nearly upon us for its seventh edition, with Berlin set to host the thrilling three-day event.
An annual tournament always taking place within a week of the US Open concluding, the Laver Cup offers another chance to see the best ATP players go head-to-head.
An entertaining team event borrowed from golf’s Ryder Cup, six European players are pitted against six players from the rest of the world, with singles and doubles matches offering increasingly more points as the event progresses.
In their final year as captains, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe will carefully guide their players into a blend of fierce competition and occasionally exhibition style fun.
With Team World having waltzed to a 13-2 victory last year, a far stronger European outfit this year is made up of three of the ATP’s top five, with Carlos Alcaraz making his debut this year.
Todd Woodbridge predicts it won’t be a close run Laver Cup
With a five-strong North American contingent making up Team World last year, the roster has diversified slightly this year.
Francisco Cerundolo and two debutants Alejandro Tabilo and Thanasi Kokkinakis are joined by three returning American stars.
Despite the romp last year, Australia’s 16-time Grand Slam doubles champion Todd Woodbridge suggests the European team will be too strong this year.
“I’m going with Europe,” Woodbridge told The AO Show. “I think the depth this year and the fact they lost the last two, I think there is an inner burning to set the record straight and get back out on top.
Quizzed on the margin of victory, the 53-year-old said: “I’m a little unsure, but I’m going to say a five point difference.”
Don’t count Team World out just yet – after all it’s a hard-court tournament!
Despite all the talk of a European procession to the trophy, recent hard-court form tells a slightly different story.
The two players who reached the furthest stage at the US Open both come from Team World, with Frances Tiafoe and eventual runner-up Taylor Fritz leading the charge against Team Europe.
Tiafoe also made the final in Cincinnati losing only to Jannik Sinner who will not take part in the event. Fritz has beaten Europe’s highest ranked player Alexander Zverev twice within the last two months, including most recently in the last eight of the Open.
Despite Alcaraz’s Laver Cup optimism, his second-round US Open exit, as well as early defeat in Cincinnati casts a question mark over his form.
Kokkinakis got one over Europe’s Stefanos Tsitsipas at the US Open and will be hoping to replicate that given the chance.
With a stronger European team than last year, the story feels like it’s already been written, however as the underdogs, I wouldn’t be surprised if Team World stage a major upset.
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