SEPT 25 - 27, 2026 | LONDON
When Alexander Zverev and Alex de Minaur step onto London’s The O2 in 2026, they will do so from opposite sides of the net, representing Team Europe and Team World, bringing contrasting styles, experience, and perspective.
De Minaur’s game is built on speed and relentless energy; Zverev’s on power and control forged over nearly a decade in the top 10. Yet for both, the Laver Cup strips things back to a common purpose.
Zverev, now 29 and returning for a record seventh appearance, has seen the event evolve from its beginning. He has lifted the trophy five times and played alongside the sport’s greats, yet his motivation has never shifted. Being selected remains, in his words, “an honor… because you’re only one of six selected,” and the stakes feel different. “You’re playing for your teammates, you’re playing for a great Captain, playing for a whole continent,” he says.
That sense of responsibility is what keeps him coming back. The teammates may have changed, from Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at the inaugural competition in Prague 2017, to Carlos Alcaraz and a new generation filling the six-man roster in Berlin 2024 and San Francisco 2025, but the objective has not. “The perspective still when you’re in the Laver Cup team is to win,” he says, adding that despite the shift in eras, “it’s still so much fun to be a part of this team and you fight for the same thing.”
An adaptable teammate
Across the net, de Minaur arrives as one of Team World’s most reliable performers. The 2026 edition will be his third Laver Cup, and he has yet to lose a singles match in the competition. Victories over Zverev, Jakub Mensik (San Francisco 2025), and Andy Murray (London 2022) underline his ability to deliver in high-pressure moments, while his doubles contributions highlight a broader value: adaptability.
The 27-year-old Australian doesn’t overstate his role. Instead, he frames it: “trying to let my tennis do the talking” and leaving “my exclamation point on the court.” It’s an approach that has made him something of a Swiss army knife for Team World, capable of shifting between roles as momentum swings across the five sessions.
Zverev has mostly felt the highs of Laver Cup competition, but also one low: last year’s loss to Team World, the first of his career with the blue team. “Team World was better than us. It’s as simple as that,” he states. The disappointment has only forged his appetite for victory in 2026. “All the players are really motivated to get the Laver Cup back to Europe. That’s where we feel it belongs,” he adds.
De Minaur, meanwhile, speaks from the other side of that divide, with belief shaped by recent success on the black court. Two titles with Team World have reinforced his confidence that further victories are ahead. The environment, he says, allows different sides of a player to emerge. In San Francisco, it pushed him toward a more attacking mindset, “a very aggressive style of tennis, which, ultimately, is the most dangerous version of myself.”
That was driven in part by the dynamic between Captain Andre Agassi and fellow Australian Patrick Rafter, Team World’s Vice Captain. It’s a partnership he describes as “fire and ice,” balancing energy with calm. Agassi, he notes, is “super methodical, super energetic. He kind of brings that out of you,” while Rafter offers a steadier counterpoint, “cool, calm and collected.”
“Andre brought so much energy. He was on fire from the very first day that we got out there until the end. Every practice, he made sure to bring the energy. As a player, it’s impossible not to fire up next to him.” – Alex de Minaur
For Zverev, fans also play a huge role in the outcome of a match. “They can motivate you, get you back up in tough situations,” or create “a hostile crowd… which is also sometimes very fun to play in.” In London, Team Europe is the host nation, and Zverev is coming to add another Laver Cup trophy to the five that sit on the top shelf of his silverware collection.
He is now the senior figure in a team that looks different from the one he joined in 2017, when he was the emerging player among legends. The responsibility has shifted, but the expectation has not.
De Minaur’s connection is rooted in something slightly different: his ties to the competition’s namesake, Rod Laver. As an Australian, the presence of Laver each year in the stands and behind the scenes carries weight. He describes Laver as “the trailblazer for the sport,” someone whose influence extends far beyond results. Seeing him courtside is “truly inspiring. I never take it for granted.”
Neither Zverev nor de Minaur takes Laver Cup matchplay lightly, knowing how quickly the balance can shift. Across a weekend that rarely follows a script, both have learned to lean into their strengths as they look ahead to London.
