The Road to Berlin looks bright for players competing at Laver Cup 2024

This year’s Laver Cup in Berlin is shaping into an incredibly competitive clash, with all confirmed players posting outstanding results through the halfway point of the calendar year. In looking at their respective performances thus far, it’s clear that Captains Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe will be bringing the firepower for an epic battle in their final year at the helm.

TEAM EUROPE: THE EUROPEAN DREAM TEAM

Captain Borg has assembled a formidable squad to try to win back the Cup, naming Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas as his final selections to join Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev. Rightfully grabbing Team Europe headlines is Alcaraz, winner of the last two Grand Slam titles, and his Spanish compatriot, Nadal, as the tennis great continues on the comeback trail.

Rafael Nadal
Current Ranking: Protected ranking
Laver Cup Appearances: 3 (2017, 2019, 2022)
Looking ahead to his fourth Laver Cup appearance in Berlin, the 22-time Grand Slam champion skipped Wimbledon to focus on the upcoming Paris Olympic Games. As part of his preparations, Nadal entered the ATP 250 at Bastad, Sweden, where he reached a Final for the first time in two years. He also reached the doubles semifinals with his Team Europe teammate Casper Ruud before withdrawing to focus on singles.

Carlos Alcaraz
Current Ranking: 3
Laver Cup Appearances: Debut
Alcaraz’s 2024 is already historic: at 21, he is the youngest man in the Open era to complete the Roland Garros and Wimbledon double in men’s singles. Only Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic have previously achieved the feat. He is also the youngest player to win Grand Slam titles on hard, clay and grass-court surfaces—starting at the US Open 2022, Wimbledon 2023, Roland Garros 2024, and his recent title defense at Wimbledon 2024.

Alexander Zverev
Current Ranking: 4
Laver Cup Appearances: 4 (2017, 2018, 2019, 2021)
Zverev, who returns to Berlin for his fifth appearance with Team Europe, has produced some of his best tennis in 2024. He dropped just one set en route to winning the ATP 1000 Masters in Rome before advancing to his first major final on clay at Roland Garros, which he lost to Berlin teammate Alcaraz in five gripping sets.

Daniil Medvedev
Current Ranking: 5
Laver Cup Appearances: 1 (2021)
Daniil Medvedev, who will make his second appearance with Team Europe in September, was out to re-balance his 2-4 ledger against Alcaraz, who he last defeated in the US Open 2023 semifinals. The pair traded blows for two hours and 55 minutes in their gripping Wimbledon semifinal. While he produced his best-ever tennis on grass, Medvedev lost 6-7(1), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, later describing Alcaraz as the toughest opponent he has ever faced. Medvedev’s season to date was also highlighted by his runner-up finish at Australian Open 2024.

Casper Ruud
Current Ranking: 9
Laver Cup Appearances: 3 (2021, 2022, 2023)
Casper Ruud has competed in three Laver Cup editions, carrying an undefeated match record in the competition, and returns determined to help will back the title for Team Europe. This year, he added two more titles to his overall career 12 tally, coming at Barcelona and Geneva. The Norwegian superstar will also represent his country at the Paris Olympics before heading to the North American hardcourts, where he was a US Open finalist in 2022.

Stefanos Tsitsipas
Current Ranking: 12
Laver Cup Appearances: 3 (2019, 2021, 2022)
Greece’s best-ever tennis champion, Stefanos Tsitsipas, will proudly represent his country in Paris, where he has enjoyed some of his best success. He was the Roland Garros 2021 runner-up and reached the quarterfinals this year, falling to eventual champion Alcaraz. Tsitsipas overcame Berlin 2024 teammate Casper Ruud to win his third ATP Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo in May but lost the title match to Ruud in Barcelona in April.

TEAM WORLD: UNDERDOGS ON THE UP

While Team World is the underdog on paper, they come in as back-to-back Cup winners and look to ready to defend their title. All four announced players – De Minaur, Fritz, Paul, Shelton – are raising their levels to achieve career bests this season ahead of Berlin. Better yet, Captain McEnroe still has two remaining spots to fill before the US Open and he will undoubtedly have some aces up his sleeve.

Alex de Minaur
Current Ranking: 6
Laver Cup Appearances: 1 (2022)
Australian No.1 Alex de Minaur finished the grass-court season with a career-high No.6 world ranking, the biggest mover in the PIF ATP Rankings. He reached the Wimbledon and Roland Garros quarterfinals for the first time. De Minaur took his overall career singles tally to nine, defeating Ruud in the championship match at Acapulco and Sebastian Korda at ‘s-Hertogenbosch.

Taylor Fritz
Current Ranking: 11
Laver Cup Appearances: 3 (2019, 2022, 2023)
Taylor Fritz, who helped steer Team World to its two Laver Cup titles in 2022 and 2023, will make his Olympic debut in Paris alongside Berlin 2024 teammate Tommy Paul. The top-ranked American  posted stand-out results in the first half of the season, capturing his third title at Eastbourne heading into Wimbledon, where he reached the quarterfinals for the second time.

Tommy Paul
Current Ranking: 13
Laver Cup Appearances: 1 (2022 Alternate, 2023)
Paul picked up two more singles titles in 2024: at Dallas on hardcourt and the ATP 500 at Queen’s at the start of the grass-court swing. Paul’s winning streak continued into the second week of Wimbledon, where eventual champion Alcaraz stopped him in the quarterfinals. Runner-up to Fritz at Delray Beach and a semifinalist at Indian Wells and Rome, Paul has evolved into a threat on all surfaces.

Ben Shelton
Current Ranking: 14
Laver Cup Appearances: 1 (2023)
Shelton was in full flight at Wimbledon, rising to the occasion as he battled past Mattia Bellucci, Lloyd Harris and Denis Shapovalov in five-set victories before his run ended at the hands of Jannik Sinner in the Round of 16. Earlier this year, he notched a second ATP singles title at Houston on clay and was a quarterfinalist at the ATP 500 hardcourt in Acapulco, demonstrating once again Shelton’s affinity for all surfaces.

Setting the stage
Following the Paris Olympic Games, where nine of the 10 confirmed players will be competing for medals, the tennis world moves to hard courts, culminating in the last major of the year at Flushing Meadows and setting the stage for Berlin. As rivalries between Laver Cup 2024 representatives intensify this season on tour, the prospect of seeing them unite as teammates in September is even more enticing.

Tickets to this year’s Laver Cup in Berlin are on sale now at the Laver Cup Ticket Shop operated by CTS Eventim, lavercup.com/tickets.