LAVER Cup Press Release, July 11, 2018

Laver Cup organizers, responding to strong market demand, announced on Tuesday plans to stage the event in 2020, and every year going forward.

The newest team event on the international tennis calendar, which pits six of the top male tennis players from Europe against six of their counterparts from the rest of the world, garnered global attention and high praise from many parts of the tennis world in its debut on a stylish black court before sell-out crowds in Prague last year.

The debut event culminated in a dramatic final match on the last day with Roger Federer saving a match point against Nick Kyrgios to thwart a stampeding Team World and secure Team Europe the inaugural Laver Cup. Players enjoyed the competition so much that many said they could not wait to play it again.

Throughout the three day tournament, the 18,000 sell-out crowd was treated to entertainment innovations and “unrivaled” competition in what proved to be one of the highlights of the tennis year.

The event clearly resonated with the sporting public, with tickets for this year’s edition in Chicago selling quickly and the European venue for 2019 to be revealed in the weeks to come.

Sponsorship support has also been stellar with prestige brands including founding partner Rolex, global sponsors Mercedes-Benz and JPMorgan Chase, and global suppliers Moet & Chandon and Wilson all signing on since 2017. 

NetJets has joined the partner coterie as a global supplier for 2018 and Grey Poupon has signed on as event sponsor. There will be further announcements on new partners and broadcasters in the coming weeks.

The appeal of the Laver Cup in Prague and Chicago has prompted the decision to stage the event in 2020.

“On the back of Prague, strong player interest, and the amazing public and commercial response for this year’s event in Chicago, we feel the time is right to publicly map out our next phase of growth,” Laver Cup Managing Director Steve Zacks explained.

“We initially scheduled the event for three consecutive years with the Olympic year off. But the strong demand compels us to build on the great momentum the Laver Cup has created by holding the event every year. 

“The intense competition, great team chemistry, the black court, unique scoring system, innovative broadcast and superb fan experience all contributed to a benchmark we aim to exceed in Chicago and each year thereafter. There is no reason to take a year off.”

Zacks said a decision on the host city for 2020 will be made in due course.

Fast Facts:

·         The Laver Cup is a three-day tournament pitting a team of six of the best tennis players from Europe against six of their counterparts from the rest of the world

·         Björn Borg is captain of Team Europe and John McEnroe is captain of Team World

·         Thomas Enqvist and Patrick McEnroe are vice captains of Team Europe and Team World

·         The tournament is named in honor of Australian tennis legendRod Laver, the only man to win two calendar-year Grand Slams, and one of the greatest players of all time

·         The unique format of the tournament showcases tennis superstars competing on the same team, playing singles, pairing up in doubles and cheering each other on from the sidelines

·         The inaugural Laver Cup was held in Prague, Czech Republic, in September 2017, with Team Europe defeating Team World 15-9

·         The location of the Laver Cup will rotate between major cities in Europe and the rest of the world each year

·         The 2018 edition of the Laver Cup will take place at the United Center in Chicago, United States, from September 21-23, 2018

Playing format:

·         Each team comprises six players and is led by a team captain

·         The competition is played over three days – Friday, Saturday and Sunday

·         There are five sessions, two on Friday and Saturday, and one on Sunday

·         Four matches are played daily, three singles and one doubles

·         Each match win is worth one point on Friday, two points on Saturday and three points on Sunday

·         The first team to reach 13 points wins the Laver Cup

·         In the event of a tie after all 12 matches have been completed, a final overtime doubles match is played as a regular set with ad scoring and a tiebreak

·         Both singles and doubles are best-of-three sets with ad scoring, with the third set decided by a 10-point tiebreak in the event of split sets

·         Each player must play at least one singles match during the first two days

·         No player will play singles more than twice during the three days

·         At least four of the six players must play doubles

·         Match-ups are determined prior to each day of play through the exchange of line-up cards by the captains.

Player qualification:

·         Players for Team Europe and Team World must qualify or be selected as ‘captain’s picks’ by their team captain. Each team comprises six players, with four players on each team qualifying based on their ATP singles ranking as of the Monday following Wimbledon

• Two players on each team are ‘captain’s picks’ and will be announced by the Monday after the US Open.