How does the Laver Cup work? Format and rules explained
Tennis' answer to the Ryder Cup is back for its fifth edition.
All four Grand Slams have come and gone this year, but the ATP season is still far from over – and this weekend sees the return of one of the more recent additions to the tennis calendar.
The Laver Cup is back for its fifth edition, once again pitting the best players from Europe against their rivals from the Rest of the World in a format not dissimilar to Golf's Ryder Cup.
Tennis legends Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe are back to serve as captains for their respective teams, and they can both rely on some true superstars of the sport.
Team Europe is especially star-studded, with Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray all in action – but it seems unlikely that any of those three will be the main focus at this year's event.
That's because 20-time Grand Slam winner and all-round tennis icon Roger Federer has announced that this will be his very last tournament before retiring at the age of 41, something which is sure to be emotional for tennis fans around the world.
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If you're unsure how the Laver Cup works, we have everything you need to know below.
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Laver Cup format
The Laver Cup sees one team from Europe and one team from the Rest of the World go up against each other – with six players representing each team in a mixture of singles and doubles matches.
Over three days, 12 matches are played – one doubles match and three singles matches on each day – with points gained for every win.
On the first day a win is worth just one point, but this increases as the tournament progresses – with two points on offer for each win on the second day and three up for grabs for every victory on the final day.
There are 24 points up for grabs in total – meaning that as soon as one team reaches the 13-point threshold they are crowned winners, with no further matches being played from that point.
The matches themselves are all best of three sets, but in instances where a decider is required, this will take the shape of a 10-point tiebreaker rather than a full third set.
Each player must play at least one singles match in the first two days, while at least four of the six team members must play at least one doubles match, with the same pairing not allowed to be used twice.
Team Europe has won all four previous versions of the tournament, including an especially emphatic win at last year's event – when they won by 14 points to one.
The closest encounter came in 2019, when just two points separated the two teams, with Europe running out victors by 13 points to 11.
You can stream every match of the Laver Cup live and on-demand on discovery+, which is also available via Amazon Prime Video.
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