Laver Cup Press Release, August 23, 2023
Captains John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg have named the final players on their respective teams for this year’s Laver Cup to be held at Rogers Arena in Vancouver from September 22-24, 2023. Team World Captain McEnroe announced Tommy Paul, Francisco Cerundolo and Ben Shelton will join World No.9 Taylor Fritz, World No.10 Frances Tiafoe and World No.15, Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, on his six-man team. Borg has named Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz and resurgent veteran Gael Monfils as his two remaining players. They will team up with World No.4 Holger Rune, World No.5 Casper Ruud, World No.7 Stefanos Tsitsipas and World No.8 Andrey Rublev. Alternates for both teams will be announced at a later date. “I’m looking forward to bringing the team together in Vancouver,” said McEnroe. “It is a talented group, with both experience and youth. Taylor, Frances, Felix and Tommy were all part of our win in London and that gives us a lot of confidence coming into this year. We’re feeling good about our chances.” Paul, World No.14 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, is enjoying a recent run of form having upset World No.1 and Wimbledon Champion Carlos Alcaraz two weeks ago en route to his first ATP Masters 1000 semifinal in Toronto. He experienced his first Laver Cup last year as an alternate. “I had a front row seat and supported my Team World teammates to victory in London, and I’m pumped that this year in Vancouver, I will be able to step on court at Rogers Arena and directly contribute to the outcome.” Argentina’s Cerundolo and American phenom Shelton will be making their Laver Cup debuts in Vancouver. “It’s an honor to be asked to represent Team World,” said Cerundolo. “It is a special opportunity to be able to compete against the best in the world, alongside my teammates, under the guidance of one of the all-time greats John McEnroe, I cannot wait.” Shelton added, “I’m so grateful to Captain McEnroe for inviting me to be part of the team and am excited to learn from all my teammates and coaches and contribute however I can.” Poland’s Hurkacz will also make his Laver Cup debut when he joins Team Europe. The 26-year-old has won six ATP Tour singles titles and reached a career high ranking of No.9 in 2021, making him the highest-ranked Polish singles player in ATP history. He also reached his first Grand Slam semifinal that year, defeating eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer in the final singles match of his career. “I am really looking forward to Laver Cup week,” said Hurkacz. “It will be great to team up in Vancouver with some of my rivals under the leadership of Captain Borg. I will do my part to help Team Europe take back the title.” Monfils has enjoyed a resurgence on the American hard-courts over recent weeks. The 36-year-old Frenchman, a former World No.6, upset Tsitsipas to reach the quarterfinals in Toronto and then went on to upset World No.16 Cameron Norrie and World No.13 Alex de Minaur to reach the round of 16 at the ATP Masters 1000 last week in Cincinnati. “I’ve never been part of the Laver Cup before and to be selected at this stage in my career is really such a privilege,” said Monfils. “I want to thank Bjorn for giving me this opportunity. I plan to make the most of it for myself and the team!” “I’m very happy with our team,” said Borg. “Hubert and Gael are two great additions. In total, on paper, we should be the favorites. Still, it is never easy. We are looking forward to getting to Vancouver and will be ready to give it everything to win back the title.” Named in honor of Australian tennis legend Rod Laver, winner of the calendar-year Grand Slam in 1962 and 1969, the Laver Cup is played on a dramatic black court that will be constructed within Rogers Arena. The three-day competition sees rivals become teammates as six of the top men’s tennis players from Europe face off against six of their counterparts from the rest of the world. Multi-session ticket packages and single-session tickets for Laver Cup Vancouver 2023 are on sale via Ticketmaster.
