The most entertaining week of tennis is almost upon us as we head towards the Laver Cup 2022 that is set to take place this Friday, the 23rd of September in London, UK.
The Laver Cup is a brainchild of Roger Federer. It is regarded as the Ryder Cup of Tennis as Team World takes on Team Europe in a series of singles and doubles matches to determine the winner of the tournament.
The 2022 Laver Cup is the fifth edition of the event, taking place at the O2 Arena in London, UK. This year is extra special as it is set to be the last tournament the 20-time grand slam champion, Roger Federer is playing before his retirement. Also the fact that this marks the first time that all of the Big 4 is here to play for team Europe just adds more hype to the excitement.
With the start of the tournament being just a day away, let us check the players to watch out for in Laver Cup 2022:
Roger Federer
Federer has been outside of the court since getting knocked out in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Wimbledon Championship. The Swiss Maestro is finally back to play in this year’s Laver Cup. However, just a week before the tournament, the 40-year-old announced his planned retirement from professional tennis following the conclusion of the 2022 Laver Cup.
This news has taken the tennis world by storm. All the tennis fans from every corner of the world cannot wait to watch their favorite go at it for one last time on the court of tennis.
Novak Djokovic
The Serbian Legend, Djokovic has undergone several controversies in the last few months. His unwillingness to get vaccinated has made him ineligible to participate in the last grand-slam of the year, the US Open. Nonetheless, he is still having a fantastic year so far in 2022. Along with a major title, the 2022 Wimbledon Championship, he won a Masters 1000 title in Rome.
The 22-time grand slam winner looks forward to keeping up his form as he sets foot in London to play in the Laver Cup. It will be a treat to watch him play, alongside his long-time rivals; Federer, Nadal, and Murray.
Casper Ruud
With the Big 4 playing, Team Europe consists of the best tennis players ever in recent memory. However, the highest ranked player among them is not anyone from the Big 4. It is the 23-year-old Casper Ruud.
Ruud is on an absolute tear this season. Although he failed to win any major trophies, the Norwegian reached the grand finals of two majors and another masters 1000. His consistency that included these finals, along with three ATP 250 tournament victories has earned him the no. 2 spot in the ATP rankings as of September 2022. How the young player fares teaming up with such legends will be something to look out for.
Taylor Fritz
The 24-year-old Taylor Fritz is another young talent to watch out for in Laver Cup 2022. Fritz, similar to many youngsters this season, is in great form. He reached his career high ranking this year as he climbed up to top 15 following his win in Indian Wells.
The American joined the World Team as the highest ranked player. The fans are eager to see Fritz go up against the legends of Team Europe.
Jack Sock
Jack Sock is placed at 128th in the ATP rankings. However, the ranking does not paint the full picture when it comes to Sock participating in team events. The 29-year-old in his decade long career, has already cemented himself as one of the greatest doubles players ever. He has two doubles grand slam titles to his name already. No disrespect to his capability in singles, but his skills in a doubles match will be a great headache to Team Europe.
There are also other players that are much like to perform well in the tournament such Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitipas from Team Europe. Félix Auger-Aliassime is another name in the World Team, capable of beating the very best.
Let’s check the full list of players in both team in Laver Cup 2022:
Team Europe:
- Casper Ruud
- Rafael Nadal
- Stefanos Tsitsipas
- Novak Djokovic
- Roger Federer
- Andy Murray
- Matteo Berrettini (Alt)
- Cameron Norrie (2nd Alt)
Team World:
- Taylor Fritz
- Felix Auger-Aliassime
- Diego Schwartzman
- Frances Tiafoe
- Alex de Minaur
- Jack Sock
- Tommy Paul (Alt)
