SEPT 19 - 21, 2025 | SAN FRANCISCO
Following an unforgettable 8th edition of the Laver Cup in San Francisco, players from both teams have carried their momentum into the final hard-court swing of the 2025 season. For many, the focus is on Turin and the ATP Finals. For others, Jeddah and the Next Gen ATP Finals beckon.
Team Europe: Steady and Strong
World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz, who lifted his eighth title of the season in Tokyo, has set the tone for a strong finish and is comfortably ahead of the pack in the race to Turin. The Spaniard, who had fallen to Team World’s Taylor Fritz on the final day of Laver Cup competition, quickly turned the tables to win his first Tokyo crown and third ATP 500 title of 2025. He is slated to compete in Paris at the final Masters 1000 event of the season, aiming to close his year with another prestigious title.
Alexander Zverev, sitting fourth in the Race to Turin, continues to balance results and recovery. A quarterfinalist in Beijing and defending champion in Paris, Zverev’s endurance throughout 2025 has reminded fans why he remains one of the game’s great competitors.
Casper Ruud and Holger Rune have produced solid late-season form, competing at the same events. Ruud reached the semifinals in Tokyo, falling to Alcaraz, and continued his momentum into Stockholm, where he picked up his 14th title for the year. Including his Laver Cup first-day singles victory over Reilly Opelka, Ruud has earned more indoor wins (11) this year than any other player on Tour.
The 26-year-old was especially happy to win the Stockholm crown, where many Laver Cup luminaries have triumphed before him. “It is a little bit of a childhood dream as it is close to Norway, and all the legends have played here in the past. Federer, Nadal, Borg, McEnroe, you name it,” he said after defeating Ugo Humbert in the final.
Meanwhile, Rune advanced to the quarterfinals in Tokyo and Shanghai, where he was stopped by Monaco’s breakout champion Valentin Vacherot. The 2022 Paris Masters winner reasserted his place among the world’s top ten after he reached the semis in Stockholm, however an achilles injury sustained in the match against Humbert has ended Rune’s season.
Among Europe’s rising names, Jakub Mensik continues to impress. The 20-year-old Czech, who made a dazzling Laver Cup debut with two wins from three matches, has since reached the Beijing quarterfinals and remains the frontrunner in the Race to Jeddah for the Next Gen finals. Italian Flavio Cobolli has also maintained momentum, advancing to Kazakhstan’s quarterfinals as his confidence continues to grow.
Team World: Leading the Charge
If the Laver Cup showed anything, it’s that Team World’s options are as deep and dangerous as ever. Taylor Fritz, a hero in San Francisco, continues to play with poise and purpose. The American reached the Tokyo final—where Alcaraz avenged his Laver Cup loss—and remains upbeat about his form. “I felt like a lot of my opponents played high-level matches, and I was able to just fight through it and take my chances,” Fritz said after Tokyo. “The end-of-year conditions suit me well. I have some goals in mind that keep me motivated to finish the season strong.”
Alex de Minaur has been another standout, carrying his Laver Cup form into the final leg of the season. The Australian No.1 went undefeated in San Francisco and has posted one of the most consistent seasons of his career since then. In Shanghai, he became just the third player in 2025—alongside Alcaraz and Fritz—to notch 50 wins. With semifinal and quarterfinal showings across Asia, De Minaur sits seventh in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin, within striking distance of a first appearance at the elite season finale.
Team World’s youthful energy has also continued to shine. Brazil’s Joao Fonseca, who stunned Team Europe’s Cobolli on opening night in San Francisco, reached a career-high ranking of 42, having started the year outside the top 100. The nineteen-year-old 2024 Next Gen champion continues to gain valuable experience at ATP-level events and remains an inspiration for the next wave of talent emerging from South America. Twenty-one-year-old Alex Michelsen has also impressed, reaching the semifinals in Kazakhstan.
Eyes on the Finals
With the Rolex Paris Masters set to begin on October 27—the last top points-scoring event of the ATP calendar—the race to Turin and Jeddah is entering its final sprint.
This week’s ATP 500 in Vienna features top seeded Zverev, De Minaur, Michelsen, Francisco Cerundolo and Team Europe alternate Tomas Machac. Fritz is top seed at the ATP 500 in Basel alongside Ruud, Mensik, Fonseca, Opelka (Q) and Team World alternate Jenson Brooksby.
The eighth edition of the Laver Cup may be over, but its ripple effects continue to be felt. From San Francisco’s black court to the bright lights of the ATP season’s final stretch, the players who electrified the Chase Center remain central figures in the race to close 2025 on a high.
