Team World Captain John McEnroe has enlisted towering Argentine Juan Martin del Potro to lead his team at the Laver Cup in Chicago in September
“Del Potro is one of the most dangerous competitors on the tour and has the weapons and power game to defeat anyone on his day, so naturally I’m delighted to have him on the team,” McEnroe said.
“He’s made an astonishing comeback in the past year and it’s wonderful to see him back at the top of the rankings, at world No.4, and at his best. With his firepower and big forehand he’ll be a massive asset to our team.”
Making his Laver Cup debut as Team World’s top-ranked player, Juan Martin del Potro has recovered from a series of debilitating injuries to re-establish his place among the world’s elite. Back to world No.4 after a four-year absence from the top 10, the Argentine looms as a deadly threat to Team Europe’s 2018 Laver Cup campaign.
I have had some of the best moments of my career as part of a team so of course I’m excited to join Team World for the Laver Cup
“I have had some of the best moments of my career as part of a team so of course I’m excited to join Team World for the Laver Cup,” del Potro said.
“Although I wasn’t able to play last year, I watched the Laver Cup a lot on the TV and it was very special to see players who normally compete hard against each other and are rivals all year on the tour, join together in one team.
“This is a unique new event for world tennis and one I’m looking forward to being part of.
“I’m also excited about coming to Chicago. It’s home to so many sports teams and is known as one of the most sports-mad cities in the world. It will be great to bring tennis back to Chicago and I’m sure all the fans will come out and support Team World.”
Del Potro will join Nick Kyrgios in Team World, with the Australian confirmed at the launch of the 2018 event in March.
Kyrgios failed to convert a match point against Team Europe’s Roger Federer in the thrilling deciding match at the inaugural Laver Cup in Prague last year, with the Europeans prevailing 15-9.
Team World will be keen to avenge the loss and make the most of their home-ground advantage at the United Center in Chicago from September 21-23.
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
- Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have been named for Team Europe, and Juan Martin del Potro and Nick Kyrgios will representTeam 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 is comprised of 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 will be 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 lineup 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.
