Laver Cup 2022: Preview, format, schedule and stars to watch in Roger Federer’s final tournament
The 2022 edition of the Laver Cup takes place in the O2 Arena in London from 23-25 September, where all eyes will be on Roger Federer after he announced that he will retire after the tournament. Find out what you need to know about the historic event below.
Tennis
Since its inaugural edition in 2017, the Laver Cup has become a favourite of players and fans alike. However, this year the competition has garnered more attention than ever after the winner of 20 Grand Slams Roger Federer announced it will be the last competitive tournament he plays, as he retires from a sport he has been a dominant force in for close to 20 years.
It is fitting that the final game of Federer’s career will take place in the Laver Cup, a tournament that was the brainchild of the Swiss legend who was inspired to create a tournament based on the format of golf’s Ryder Cup.
Once again, a team of six from Europe will take on six stars from the rest of the world, with Swedish great Bjorn Borg captaining Team Europe and American legend John McEnroe the skipper of Team World.
Team Europe has never been beaten in the Laver Cup, having won the first four editions including a comprehensive 14-1 victory in the last tournament held in 2021 in Boston.
Will a Federer-inspired Team Europe make it five in a row in London? Can Team World put a dampener on the Swiss great’s last hurrah? Find out everything you need to know about the competition below.
When and where will the Laver Cup 2022 take place?
The 2022 edition of the Laver Cup will take place in London’s O2 Arena, an indoor venue that was built under the famous Millennium Dome. It is the first time the arena has hosted the Laver Cup with previous editions taking place in Prague, Chicago, Geneva and Boston.
The action begins on Friday 23 September and ends two days later on 25 September. All matches will be played on a pitch-black court, adding to the drama of an already highly-anticipated event.
What is the format of the Laver Cup 2022?
Both singles and doubles matches will be played each day, with two four-game sessions on days 1 and 2 and a single four-game session planned for Sunday.
For a team to win they must accumulate 13 points, with one point added to their tally for each victory on the first day, two points for each on the second day and three points for each on the third.
If a team only takes one match on the final day of action to secure the 13 points, an exhibition match following the trophy ceremony will take the place of the remaining scheduled matches.
In the case the competition is tied after 12 matches, the winner will be determined through a final overtime doubles match.
Stars to watch in the Laver Cup 2022
Team Europe
Team Europe’s lineup reads like a who’s who of the modern tennis era, with the 41-year-old Federer joined by legends Rafael Nadal (36), Novak Djokovic (35) and Andy Murray (35), as well as rising stars of the game Casper Ruud (23) and Stefanos Tsitsipas (24).
Federer, who will retire with two Olympic medals including doubles gold from Beijing 2008, will only take part in the doubles competition, however that does raise the mouthwatering prospect of his final game taking place alongside longtime rival Nadal.
"I am quite surprised how well I am playing in practice here,” he told the Swiss press on Tuesday. “But it was already clear beforehand that I would only play doubles, probably on Friday evening.”
For his part, Nadal holds the record for most-ever Grand Slam victories in history, having won a total of 22 - two more than Federer. His only Olympic title also came in 2008, as he soared to singles gold in Beijing. The Spaniard currently sits at No. 3 in the ATP world rankings, having previously been the world No. 1 for 209 weeks.
The last of the Big Three to take part in this year’s Laver Cup is Serbia’s Djokovic, who holds the record for the most number of weeks as world No. 1 (373 weeks). Djokovic has won 21 Grand Slams in his career and currently sits at No. 7 on the world rankings.
The other members of team Europe are no slouches themselves, with Britain's double Olympic gold medallist Murray joined by Norway’s World No. 2 Ruud and Greece’s World No. 6 Tsitsipas.
But the eyes of the world will be on Federer, who bows out of tennis an all-time great after an illustrious career that has won him admirers in every corner of the globe.
Team World
While on paper Team World would seem to be the underdogs, they do possess among their ranks some of the most exciting players on the tour today. The USA’s Taylor Fritz is the highest-ranked player in the team with the 24-year-old enjoying a strong year that included advancing to the quarter-finals in Wimbledon. Could he again make waves on his return to London?
Canada’s Félix Auger-Aliassime is also a young star with talent to burn, with the 22-year-old reaching the semi-finals of the US Open in 2021, as well as the quarter-finals of both Wimbledon in 2021 and this year’s edition of the Australian Open.
Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman is ranked 19th in the world, while the USA’s Frances Tiafoe - a replacement for compatriot John Isner - reached the semi-finals of this year’s US Open, and at 24 is still growing in the sport.
The other members of Team World are Australia’s 23-year-old Alex de Minaur, ranked 22nd in the world and the USA’s 29-year-old Jack Sock, an Olympics men's doubles gold medallist from Rio 2016.
Team World will be hoping that the youthful vigour of their lineup will come out on top against a European team made up of mainly veterans - albeit legends.
Laver Cup 2022 schedule
All times British Summer Time (GMT+1)
Friday 23 September
Day session
1pm:
Match 1: Men’s singles
Followed by:
Match 2: Men’s singles
Night session
7pm:
Match 3: Men’s singles
Followed by:
Match 4: Men’s doubles
Saturday 24 September
Day session
1pm:
Match 5: Men’s singles
Followed by:
Match 6: Men’s singles
Night session
*7pm: *
Match 7: Men’s singles
Followed by:
Match 8: Men’s doubles
Sunday 25 September
Day session (the schedule for the final day is tentative dependant on previous results)
12pm:
Match 9: Men’s doubles
Followed by:
Match 10: Men’s singles
Followed by:
Match 11: Men’s singles
Followed by:
Match 12: Men’s singles
How to watch the Laver Cup 2022 around the world
The Laver Cup will be broadcast live on Tennis Channel in the USA, Eurosport in Great Britain, Canada on TVA Sports, Stan Sport in Australia and Sky NZ in New Zealand.
For a full list of international broadcasters, click here.