We are into the ninth edition of the Laver Cup, one of the most interesting events on the tennis calendar, co-founded by Roger Federer and taking place at The O2 Arena in London from September 25 to 27. A star-studded Team Europe, featuring Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev, is out to avenge last year’s 15-9 defeat to Team World in San Francisco, which was the debut of Team World captain Andre Agassi. There has been a fun build-up towards the occasion as well, with the Team World captain throwing his own bit of fun along the way. 

The American was giving a courtside interview while Alcaraz was practising his serve, grunting loudly with every strike. Rather than ignoring it, Agassi paused mid-interview to call him out directly. 

“Keep it down with that serve, huh? Keep it down, it’s too noisy,” he said, drawing a quick response from Alcaraz across the court. 

“If you tell me it’s too noisy when I serve, it’s a problem,” the Spaniard shot back. Agassi immediately walked the tease back into praise. 

“Go, go. I love it, I love it. Keep bringing it, I love it.”

Historically, Team Europe holds the edge in the competition, winning the title five times in eight editions, including a three-peat from 2017 to 19 and then two more in 2021 and 2024. Meanwhile, Team World are the defending champions and have won back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023. 

The Laver Cup has been an ATP-sanctioned tournament since 2019 and, although results are included in their win/loss records, it’s one of the few high-profile events where no ATP ranking points are given away, and it’s more about team pride than the ATP rankings race. This year’s edition also marks a return to The O2 for the first time since Federer’s emotional retirement there in 2022, making it the first city in the event’s history to host a second edition.

What does the lineup of this year’s teams look like?

This year’s lineup for Team Europe comprises Zverev, Alcaraz, Flavio Cobolli, Rafael Jodar, Jakub Mensik, and Casper Ruud, with Yannick Noah as captain, Tim Henman as vice-captain, and Arthur Fery as the standby alternate. Team World is headed by Agassi, with Pat Rafter as vice-captain and Ignacio Buse acting as alternate. The core squad includes Alex De Minaur, Taylor Fritz, Brandon Nakashima, Alexander Bublik, Learner Tien, and Francisco Cerundolo. 

Alcaraz has already established a great personal record in the event. After making his Laver Cup debut in Berlin in 2024, where he posted a 3-1 singles and doubles record to help Team Europe clinch the title, he will now strive to improve his 6-2 overall record at the tournament in his third year of participation. 

Ahead of this weekend, he had nothing but praise for his new teammate Zverev, who enters the event fresh off titles at both Roland Garros and the US Open this season. 

“He is probably the best player in the world right now, so having him by my side is going to be a great weapon that we are going to use,” Alcaraz said. “I missed lifting the trophy last year, so I am going to do whatever it takes to do it this year.”

The amusing back-and-forth between Alcaraz and Agassi sets the tone for the Laver Cup, which has led to the event’s success. Bringing the best players on one court in a team setting, going against each other and playing together where they have spent most of the year trying to beat each other and now cheering for the very opponents for the team’s cause.