The Laver Cup returns with its seventh edition this September as Team Europe and Team World battle for glory in Berlin.
The ‘Ryder Cup’-style tournament pits six of the best tennis players from Europe, captained by Bjorn Borg, against six of the best from the rest of the world, captained by John McEnroe.
The Laver Cup was dominated by Team Europe in its early years, but Team World have fought back and are aiming for a third straight win.
The 2024 Laver Cup starts on Friday, September 20 and finishes on Sunday, September 22.
It will be played on indoor hard courts at the Uber Arena in Berlin.
The Laver Cup schedule sees five sessions (three day sessions and two night sessions) played over three days.
The line-ups for each day will be announced on the previous day.
Nadal, who hasn’t played since the Paris Olympics, did not mention a reason for pulling out of the competition, instead simply stating that “there are other players who can help the team deliver the win.”
Nadal has been replaced on Team Europe by Grigor Dimitrov.
Alongside Dimitrov on Team Europe will be Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev.
Alcaraz will be making his debut for Team Europe.
Novak Djokovic is not playing and Andy Murray will not be part of the team following his retirement. US Open champion Jannik Sinner is also not featuring.
Team World features a strong American presence with US Open runner-up Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe.
Francisco Cerundolo is back for a second appearance while Thanasi Kokkinakis and Alejandro Tabilo will make their debuts.
The first team to reach 13 points wins the Laver Cup.
But there’s the added twist that match wins are worth more on the final day than they are on the first day.
Each match win is worth one point on Friday, two points on Saturday and three points on Sunday, making it possible for big swings on the final day.
A total of 12 matches could be played.
There are no ranking points on offer at the Laver Cup.
If the score is level after 12 matches then a final overtime doubles match will decide the winner.
This is yet to happen in the history of the Laver Cup.
Team World stormed to a 13-2 victory over Team Europe in Vancouver last year.
Team Europe were hit by injury withdrawals ahead of the tournament and managed just one match win on the second day.
The result was wrapped up early on the final day as Team World won the doubles tie.
Roger Federer is a co-founder of the Laver Cup and played in four editions, holding a perfect 6-0 record in singles matches.
Last year in Vancouver he was at the tournament across all three days. It has not been confirmed if he will be in Berlin.
Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe have captained Team Europe and Team World since the Laver Cup’s inaugural edition in 2017.
But this will be the final Laver Cup as captains for both of the tennis greats.
Borg will be replaced as Team Europe captain by Yannick Noah in 2025 while McEnroe will be replaced on the Team World bench by Andre Agassi.
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