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The Laver Cup is an annual team competition in tennis played between Team Europe and Team World on an indoor hardcourt to honor the legacy of living legend Rod Laver. It is played on the second weekend following the US Open, hosted alternately by a European and 'rest of the world' city.
Tennis' equivalent of golf's Ryder Cup - which pits Team USA against Team Europe - the Laver Cup was first played in 2017 in Prague.
As the action gets underway in the fifth edition of the team competition in London, let's find out how the winner is determined, competition format, history, player and captain selection, and more.
Laver Cup format
It's a three-day event played across five sessions over three days (Friday to Sunday).
Each day comprises three singles and one doubles match, with each set played in a best-of-three format with ad scoring. However, instead of a deciding set, a supertiebreak - first to ten points - is played to determine the winner.
No player is allowed to play more than two singles, and four of the six players in the two teams must play doubles. There has to be a unique doubles combination on all three sets unless there's a need for a decider on the third day - when the scores are level at 12-all (more on that later).
The first team to reach 13 points becomes the winner. Due to the unique point allocation system at the Laver Cup, there is at least one match that's guaranteed to be played on the third day. That's because each win on the first day is worth one point, while on the second and third days, the point allocation per win increases to two and three respectively.
What that means is that even if a team wins their first eight matches across the first two days - which hasn't happened yet across the four previous editions - they will only reach 12 points and will need one more point to win the competition.
What happens when both teams are level on 12 points apiece? There's a single-set doubles shootout played as a regular set - with ad scoring and a tiebreak (first to seven with a difference of two).
Friday’s lineup is announced on the preceding afternoon. Saturday’s lineup is announced an hour after play ends on Friday night, and Sunday’s lineup is announced an hour after play ends on Saturday night. The match-ups on each day are determined through the exchange of line-up cards by the two captains.
Since 2019, the tournament has been an officially sanctioned ATP event, though it does not carry any ranking points.
History of the Laver Cup
The Laver Cup is the brainchild of the retiring Roger Federer - who's playing the last tournament of his illustrious career in the competition's ongoing fifth edition in London.
In 2017, Federer approached Brazilian businessman and former Davis Cup player Jorge Paulo Lemann and Tennis Australia to start tennis' equivalent of golf's Ryder Cup.
The first edition was played at Prague's O2 arena in 2017. The second edition was played in Chicago's United Center in 2018, while the third was staged at Geneva's Palexpo in 2019. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no Laver Cup in 2020.
The competition's fourth edition was played last year at Boston's TD Garden.
London's O2 Arena is currently hosting the fifth edition of the tournament, where Team Europe are striving to win a fifth straight title.
How are players and captains selected for Laver Cup?
Each captain at the Laver Cup is a bonafide legend of the game. Since the competition's inaugural edition in 2017, 11-time Major winner Bjorn Borg has captained Team Europe, while seven-time Grand Slam winner John McEnroe has done so for Team World.
Borg's enticing rivalry with McEnroe during their playing days only adds to the allure of the competition.
Each team comprises six players - with three of them qualifying based on their ATP singles ranking on the Monday following the French Open. The three other players are 'captain's picks' - announced just before the US Open.
Some notable players like Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Nick Kyrgios and John Isner have graced the competition over the years. Federer and Isner have made a record four appearances in the competition. Isner would have made a record fifth appearance in London this weekend but pulled out due to injury.
The Big Four of Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray are competing at the event together for the first time this year. Federer hasn't featured competitively since Wimbledon last year due to injury. The 20-time Major winner is set to play the last match of his career with his arch-rival and good friend Rafael Nadal in doubles on Friday night against Sock and Frances Tiafoe.
ATP ranking points at Laver Cup
The Laver Cup has been an ATP-sanctioned event since 2019, which means wins and losses count in a player's overall career record.
However, no ranking points are awarded at the event, even though players receive participation fees based on their ATP ranking. Moreover, each winning team player receives $250,000.
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