SEPT 25 - 27, 2026 | LONDON
Flavio Cobolli says he’s focused on keeping Team Europe energized with his smile. He extended that effort on Friday to the Laver Cup ballkids. The Team Europe player visited the squad between the first and second sessions at The O2 on the opening day of competition, entertaining the group of 18 young helpers and flashing a smile while asking if he could drop into their photo.
After taking a group picture, Cobolli kept busy signing autographs and posing for selfies before challenging some of the ballkids to a game of table tennis. Arthur Ferry, a Team Europe alternate, stopped by and subbed in for Cobolli, to which the Italian replied, “I’m going to be your ballboy.”
Fery, who grew up in London, asked the kids where they were from, most replying that they were local.
One young ball kid, Lola Wright, beamed as she met the players and said, “It was so cool!”
Fery also stopped by the main merchandise shop at The O2’s entrance and browsed for his top three picks. It wasn’t hard to choose. He told LaverCup.com that his first pick was the brand-new custom Laver Cup knit jumper. It comes in either red trim or blue (as a Team Europe alternate, he chose blue). “Those knits look good,” he said, “They are very nice. I like it a lot.”
For a second pick, he opted for a white golf hat with a round Laver Cup London 2026 logo: “You’ve got to be a good golfer to wear this,” he said. Then for his third pick, he chose a Peter Millar golf polo in blue with white stripes and a Laver Cup wordmark. The golf theme was clearly his style, and while the 24-year-old is indeed a golfer, he said he’s “not a very good one.”
During his shopping trip, Fery looked at the Laver Pup stuffed animal (he said it’s ideal for kids) and kicked around a giant Wilson tennis ball.
The Laver Cup’s namesake gets celebrated throughout the event, including with the most premium hospitality space, the Rocket Club, named in his honor. Rod Laver’s historic achievements — punctuated by his two calendar-year grand slams in 1962 and 1969 — adorn the Rocket Club, as artwork of Laver on court in the 1960s proliferates throughout the space.
Guests of the Rocket Club are treated to an array of delicacies spread throughout the space, near the club’s courtside seats. Club access includes a fresh seafood bar with sushi boxes, an impressive Haribo candy stop, and multiple fully stocked bars. Food choices abound, with carving stations and rotating action stations featuring dozens of options, including desserts, coffee, and a charcuterie stop with cheeses from France and England.
With the tight-knit and fast-paced Laver Cup schedule, the Wilson stringing team, located just off court and next to the player spaces, gets to know the players quite well. Stringer Joe Heydt said that most players don’t bring more than four or five racquets on court. The combination of the third-set Laver Breaker and the indoor conditions mean players have their needs dialed in well before a match and won’t go through as many frames as they would in a five-set match at a Grand Slam.
While each of the players uses a different string configuration — Luxilon’s ALU Power is a popular choice — all the players string racquets within the range of 20-25 kilograms (44-55 pounds), typical for an indoor event. Heydt said the team will string around 200 racquets during the week.
