The Laver Cup, a prestigious team tennis tournament, begins today in Boston. This 2021 edition marks the fourth time these two squads—Europe and the rest of the World—have collided for the trophy. Held at the TD Garden's indoor facilities, the event sees Team Europe entering as the clear frontrunner. Even without the presence of icons like Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer, who are all out with injuries, Europe possesses a deep enough roster to realistically aim for a fourth straight title.
Laver Cup, the team competition in men’s tennis will kick off today in Boston. The 2021 campaign will be the fourth edition, where teams of Europe and the rest of the World will clash to win the trophy. The Laver Cup tournament is played on indoor courts at TD Garden in Boston, United States. Team Europe is heavily favored to win the contest. Tennis top stars Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic are not on the team due to injuries. But team Europe has players to make it as a strong contender to win for the consecutive fourth year.
Spanning three days from September 24th to 26th, the Laver Cup pits six of Europe's finest against six top players from the rest of the world. The competition follows a Ryder Cup-style structure, blending singles and doubles play to determine the overall winner.
All matches are played as a best-of-three sets. In the event of a 1-1 set deadlock, a 10-point match tiebreak is used to decide the outcome. The scoring system is progressive: victories earn one point on day one, two points on day two, and three points on the final day. The first team to accumulate 13 points claims the 2021 trophy, with a deciding match scheduled if the score remains tied.
Team Europe's dominance is evident in their lineup, boasting six of the world's top ten players: Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, and Matteo Berrettini, with Feliciano Lopez serving as the alternate. Under the leadership of captain Bjorn Borg, the team will be led by the likes of US Open winner Medvedev and Olympic gold medalist Zverev.
In contrast, Team World lacks a top-10 presence, though they do feature four players ranked between 11 and 20. Their roster includes Felix Auger-Aliassime, Denis Shapovalov, Diego Schwartzman, Reilly Opelka, John Isner, and Nick Kyrgios, with Jack Sock as the reserve. While captained by John McEnroe, the team's wildcard is Nick Kyrgios; despite his current inconsistent schedule and ranking of 95, he has the raw talent to upset any top seed.
Due to knee surgery, Roger Federer is unable to compete. However, he expressed confidence that Team Europe would achieve a fourth consecutive win. Reflecting on his fond memories of past tournaments in Chicago, Prague, and Geneva, Federer noted how much he'll miss the excitement of the event.