This weekend will see the third hosting on the Laver Cup. The Palexpo Arena in Geneva will be the setting for Team Europe vs Team World a Ryder Cup style event in which each team faces off in different matches against each other. Team Europe is led by the Iceman Bjorn Borg, the 9 times grand slam champion who won back to back titles at the French Open and Wimbledon. In Team World’s corner Borg’s nemesis, the one, the only John Mc Enroe. 2019 will see the rivalry renewed in Switzerland in what promises to be a great weekend of tennis.
Laver Cup Previous Editions 2017 and 2018
The inaugural edition of the Laver Cup took place in the O2 Arena in Prague. In a star-studded affair Team Europe won comfortably against Team World 15-8. In the most recent Laver Cup recent Chicago 2018, Team Europe won a closer contest 13-8 despite a rousing Day 2 from Team World. There has been packed out arenas, fantastic tennis and great sporting action in the Laver Cup so far. In May 2019, the ATP endorsed the Laver Cup as an officially sanctioned ATP Event.
Rafael Nadal and the others
Rafael Nadal is fresh from his US Open victory a matter of weeks ago and he will lead Team Europe. Once again the balance of power in world tennis seems to rest with the Europeans, 5 of their team ranked within the top 10, only Fabio Fognini at number 11 is not a top tenner. Team World is made up of big hitters. Unfortunately, Kevin Anderson has pulled the plug on his season already but John Isner, Taylor Fritz, Nick Kyrgios, Milos Raonic, Jack Sock and Denis Shapovalov are more than capable in this regard.
On paper, the 2019 Laver Cup looks like a foregone conclusion already. Team Europe really do hold all the aces, Federer the home country boy, Nadal, Zverev, Thiem, Tsitsipas, and Fognini make a formidable team. Fortunately for the worldwide television audience and all the fans tennis matches are not played on paper. A fast indoor court will favour the big-hitting Team World. Who do you favour, can Team World prosper in these conditions? Check out the latest odds. There are also some potentially juicy ties this weekend as Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas will again renew their rivalry. Federer and John Isner have enjoyed great ding dong battles over the year.
Fedal Double Up?
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are expected to team up in the doubles once again. How wonderful it was to see the top pair on court together in 2017. The two rivals on court are good friends off it and recently made an executive decision to jointly return to the ATP Player council. A Fedal doubles game could possibly be the showpiece match of the tie and whoever they face they know they will be up against it. Following some tasty encounters both on court and social media could we possibly see a Nadal Kyrgios game this weekend? There has been some bad blood between the two following accusations by Kyrgios that Nadal receives favourable treatment from umpires. Juicy with a capital J!
The Outlook for the Laver Cup.
The good news for fans of the Laver Cup is that it appears here to stay on the tennis calendar. Despite the changes in the Davis Cup and the introduction of the World Team Trophy in season 2020; the third weekend in September will be kept free for the Laver Cup. Positive news on that front but there is one thing that such competition needs to flourish and that is competition. For this event to be a serious tennis event, one enjoyed by fans and not dubbed a glorified exhibition albeit well choreographed by the production team; there needs to be competition. If Team Europe continue to coast to victory then interest in this as competition will wane.
Currently, the base of power in tennis lies in Europe but as we know in life everything goes in cycles and that will change. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and others are all nearing the end of their careers. These guys will leave a huge gap when they eventually retire, a gap which Team World must exploit and gain a few victories. Longterm Team World need to compete with Team Europe to keep this event relevant and interesting. This weekend could see something special on court in Geneva. We all expect a fantastic spectacle with great tennis. Let’s see eyeballs out, flat out the competition and maybe then we can talk of a Ryder Cup of Tennis.
