SEPT 25 - 27, 2026 | LONDON
When Team World and Team Europe walk into The O2 on September 25-27, a number of unpredictable factors will join the players on the signature black court. What is known going into the ninth edition of the Laver Cup is the head-to-head records between the opposing players.
A deep dive into the past results between all six players on Team Europe and all six players on Team World gives Team Europe an edge, at least in singles. Overall, Team Europe’s squad of world No.2 Alexander Zverev, No.3 Carlos Alcaraz, No.7 Flavio Cobolli, No.14 Rafael Jodar, No.15 Jakub Mensik and No.18 Casper Ruud lead 72-50 in career meetings over Team World’s squad of No.9 Alex de Minaur, No.10 Taylor Fritz, No.13 Learner Tien, No.16 Brandon Nakashima, No.17 Alexander Bublik and No.23 Francisco Cerundolo.
The original version of this article has been updated to reflect Francisco Cerundolo replacing Tommy Paul and Brandon Nakashima replacing Ben Shelton on Team World.
Quick Facts
• Alcaraz is 6-0 vs de Minaur, 4-0 vs. Cerundolo and 2-0 vs. Nakashima
• Ruud is 7-1 vs Bublik
• Zverev is 6-0 vs Nakashima
• Fritz is the only Team World player with a winning record against the entire European squad and he’s beaten every European he’s faced
• Bublik leads Zverev 3-1
• De Minaur leads Mensík 5-1 and Cobolli 2-1
• 6 fixtures are unplayed and 4 of those involve Jodar or Tien
• Team World is 6-3 against Team Europe in Laver Cup matches
While on paper, it becomes apparent that Team Europe has the advantage, when the returning players have actually met at Laver Cup, the results have run in Team World’s favor with a 6-2 record. Four of those Team World wins happened last year when World defeated Europe in San Francisco, 15-9.
There are many caveats to take into consideration. Zverev and Alcaraz have the strongest winning records, while Fritz has proven he can beat anyone, especially in the Laver Cup format. Jodar and Tien are so new to the tour that they haven’t competed against most of the Laver Cup players. Doubles is worth 25% of the tournament points with Sunday matchups worth 3 points (as much as all three singles matches on Friday) yet many pairings will be new and all 12 players are primarily singles stars.
Alcaraz, Zverev Lead The Way For Europe
The head-to-head leaders on Team Europe are Zverev and Alcaraz. Alcaraz is a dominant 19-2 over the entire Team World field, including a 5-1 record over Fritz, 6-0 over De Minaur, 4-0 over Cerundolo, and 2-0 over Nakashima. He defeated Bublik in their only meeting, and has yet to play Tien.
Zverev is 8-3 over De Minaur, 5-3 over Cerundolo and 2-1 over Tien, but has losing records against Fritz (6-10) and Bublik (1-3). The German has had one of the best 2026 seasons of any Laver Cup player by winning Roland-Garros and the US Open, as well as reaching the Wimbledon final.
Zverev’s record against Fritz is the richest: In 16 meetings, the most-played fixture between the two squads, Fritz leads 10–6. Though the American won seven bouts in a row, Zverev recently broke the streak at Wimbledon, in straight sets no less.
Fritz Factor Key Player For World
With a 16-15 edge, Fritz is the only Team World player with a collective head-to-head winning record over Team Europe. At last year’s Laver Cup, which Team World won, he defeated both Alcaraz and Zverev. He has beaten every European player, except Cobolli who he has never played.
Cobolli versus Fritz and Cobolli versus Cerundolo are two of six matchups that have never been played — the other four all involve Jodar or Tien. Jodar has never faced Bublik or Cerundolo, while Tien has never played Alcaraz or Ruud. In the head-to-head between the two newcomers, Jodar leads against Tien 2–0 (defeating him at the 2025 Next Gen Finals and Rome this year). Nakashima will also be making his debut, meaning half of Team World will be new to the Laver Cup stage.
Doubles Remains Unpredictable
Doubles will play a significant role, and that’s where Team World could pick up critical points. Bublik was a doubles runner-up at Roland-Garros in 2021, Nakashima captured the Delray Beach doubles crown in 2025, and de Minaur won the Cincinnati doubles title in 2020. Team World also has one lefty in Tien.
Alcaraz and Ruud are Team Europe’s strongest pairing, holding a 2-0 Sunday record (when points are worth triple). Zverev has the most doubles titles out of any Laver Cup player (three including Acapulco earlier this year) and Mensik just won the US Open mixed doubles trophy.
The Laver Cup Effect
In Laver Cup singles meetings between current squad members, Team World leads 6-2 — the reverse of the overall 50-72 record. Fritz has beaten Alcaraz once in six career meetings, at Laver Cup San Francisco. De Minaur trails Zverev 3-8 overall, but the match that leveled last year’s tie in San Francisco was his straight-sets win over Zverev. In the deciding singles match on Sunday, Fritz beat Zverev to win it all for Team World. Zverev is 0-3 in Laver Cup singles action against returning Team World members.
Overall, Team Europe brings the stronger singles records, the higher rankings and the reigning Roland-Garros and US Open champion, while Team World brings three of the last four Laver Cup trophies, a deeper pool of doubles options and the one man (Fritz) who has proven he can beat anyone.
Ultimately, the Laver Cup has a habit of producing results that rankings can’t predict.
