LAVER Cup Press Release, August 21, 2018
Tennis royalty gathered in New York today as the countdown continues to the second annual Laver Cup which will take place at the United Center, Chicago, from September 21-23, 2018.
The legendary Rod Laver joined John McEnroe, Novak Djokovic and Juan Martín del Potro to announce Kyle Edmund as the final captain’s pick for Team Europe and Jack Sock as McEnroe’s last Team World selection for the unique team event.
Edmund has enjoyed a breakout year on the tour, steadily climbing from a world ranking of 50 in January to world No.16. He reached the semis at the Australian Open, the finals in Morocco and defeated both Djokovic and David Goffin in Madrid.
Edmund is excited at the prospect of joining world class Team Europe, which features the star-studded lineup of world No.2 Roger Federer, [4] Alexander Zverev, [6] Djokovic, [8] Grigor Dimitrov and [10] Goffin.
“This is an extraordinary opportunity and I can’t wait to join all these great players in Team Europe at the Laver Cup in Chicago,” Edmund said. “It’s a huge honor.”
“Tennis is such an individual sport so it’s always very special to have the chance to play as part of a team. I watched the Laver Cup on TV last year and the atmosphere in Prague was amazing.
“I’m really looking forward to going to Chicago for the first time as well. I’ve heard they love their sport there, and although we are technically not the ‘home’ team, I’m sure we’ll get a lot of support.”
“I’m delighted to welcome Kyle to Team Europe as my final captain’s pick,” Borg said.
“Kyle is an outstanding young player who’s achieved some great results and big wins over top players. I’m also impressed with his meticulous and methodical approach to the sport and believe he will be a great fit with the team.
“Team Europe will be a force to be reckoned with in Chicago and we plan to mount a strong defense of our title.
“It’s an extraordinarily strong team, with Roger and his 20 Grand Slam titles, and Novak, with his 13 – it is very exciting. Roger and Novak have shared a rivalry over so many years so it will be remarkable to see them come together in the same team, and work together for the win.
“Roger and Novak are both incredible leaders in our sport and I expect them to inspire all the members of Team Europe in Chicago, it will be very special.”
Rod Laver and John McEnroe
Team World’s Captain John McEnroe has named American Sock as his final Captain’s Pick.
“Jack was an incredible asset to Team World at the Laver Cup last year and I’m excited to name him for the team again this year,” McEnroe said.
“He’s the best doubles player in the world. He’s a great team player, as Nick [Kyrgios] is. I believe they’ll make each other better.
“I think it [Laver Cup] was one of the best and most exciting weeks that I’ve been around for many years.
“To be with my idol here … to see the players get behind it as much as they did, the crowd was amazing. So we’re hoping now that we have the home-court advantage, that in Chicago, which is a great sports town, that we can pull this out.
“The players are excited. I’m excited. It was an awesome week. We’re looking forward to it being even better this year.
“I can’t wait to play Laver Cup again,” Sock said. “It was one of the highlights of the year for me and I’m so excited about playing here in the United States, at home, and in the great sports city of Chicago.
“The United Center is going to be loud, the crowds will be awesome, and it will be fantastic to have the home support.
“There’s no way we want to let Team Europe win here, on our home turf, and they know it’s going to be tough.
“We have an awesome team and I can’t wait to once again put aside our usual rivalries to play together. It’s going to be amazing,” Sock continued.
John #McEnroe locks in his squad for #TeamWorld 2018: @delpotrojuan, @KAndersonATP, @JohnIsner, @dieschwartzman, @JackSock and @NickKyrgios#LaverCup pic.twitter.com/mow4MdYkv2
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) 21. August 2018
Signed, sealed and ready to deliver for #TeamEurope 2018: @RogerFederer, Alexander Zverev, @GrigorDimitrov @DjokerNole @David__Goffin and @kyle8edmund. pic.twitter.com/35632y9PWU
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) 21. August 2018
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 legend Rod 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 from the sidelines
· The inaugural Laver Cup was held at the O2 arena in Prague, Czech Republic, from September 22-24, 2017, with Team Europe defeating Team World 15-9
· The location 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 will 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 will be 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.
