Laver Cup's identity tested as stars, money and format shape its future

Alexander Bublik said “I never cared more than winning this one,” after playing the 2026 Laver Cup in London two weeks ago, a reflection of a tournament whose status between exhibition and genuine competition remains a subject of debate.

The Laver Cup was launched in 2017 in Prague as a biennial, Europe-versus-World event modelled on golf’s Ryder Cup and named for Rod Laver, the only player to have completed the Grand Slam twice; it was created with Roger Federer as one of the driving figures and has attracted top-ranked entrants through a system that makes the three highest-ranked players from each region automatic picks.

Organisers have built the event around star participation and financial incentives: appearance fees for players and a $250,000 bonus for each of the six members of the winning side, plus a weekend scheduling window intended to avoid clashes with other marquee tournaments.

On-court format and presentation underline the Laver Cup’s distinctiveness — a black court under arena lighting, a mix of singles and doubles, a third-set 10-point tiebreaker, and a scoring model that awards one point for a Friday win, two for Saturday and three for Sunday with 13 points required to clinch the trophy, a design meant to keep the tie alive across all three days.

The event’s early editions featured Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe as captains and regular appearances from Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, players who between them won 69 Majors from 2003 to 2023; captaincy later passed to Yannick Noah and Andre Agassi, and Federer chose the Laver Cup for his playing farewell in a 2022 doubles match with Nadal, the pair having met 40 times during their rivalry.

Players describe a different tone to the Laver Cup than traditional national team events: Casper Ruud said, “Players talk in a more friendly way,” and added, “Daniil [Medvedev] is a father and we can talk about his family and how it is to be a father. Sometimes I forget that we are normal people as well.” By contrast the Davis Cup contains more oppositional tales, such as the 1984 United States side that reached the final under Arthur Ashe while John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors reportedly did not speak to each other.

The tournament’s governance and commercial links have prompted debate: the ATP has partnered with the Laver Cup since 2019 and allows its matches to be counted in head-to-head records, yet the event awards no ranking points; Tennis Australia was among the original investors, and questions about conflicts of interest arose while Federer was an active player. Tony Godsick, co-founder and Federer’s long-time agent, said “We’ll never get rid of that gap [with the Ryder Cup],” and added, “We invest in the brand for the players, for the sponsors, for the fans, for the media.” He also defended the event’s place in the calendar, saying, “There could be too many other tennis events, but this one is working,” and, “We have sold-out crowds, the biggest captains, the best sponsors. Every player loves to play. So the question is: Is there too much Laver Cup? No. I think there is not enough Laver Cup.”

The Laver Cup’s embrace by current stars is mixed: Carlos Alcaraz has been a major draw and is said to have electrified the setting across the past three editions, Jannik Sinner has not yet become closely associated with the event, and Alexander Zverev’s rise this year has also influenced its profile; at the same time critics note that, unlike the Ryder Cup which does not award prize money and prompted Rory McIlroy to say he would “personally pay for the privilege to play,” the Laver Cup offers substantial financial rewards.

Organisers point to sold-out arenas and high-profile captains and sponsors as evidence of success, but questions about how the event sits within a crowded tennis calendar and whether its engineered spectacle will endure persist: "Success has been carefully engineered. But for how long?"