 |
| Source: lavercup.com |
Rod Laver was joined by Roger Federer, John McEnroe, Marin Cilic, Tomas Berdych and Denis Shapovalov in the heart of New York City recently to announce the captain’s picks for the inaugural Laver Cup.
This year, the Laver Cup will be held at the O2 arena Prague from 22-24 September. It will be played in the USA in 2018.
Alexander Zverev, the world no.7 becomes the fifth top 10 player for Team Europe, joining Rafael Nadal, Federer, Cilic and Dominic Thiem. Berdych will also represent the European team at the O2 arena.
 |
| Source: lavercup.com |
Meanwhile, Juan Martin del Potro and Denis Shapovalov were confirmed as the captain’s picks John McEnroe’s Team World.
To find out the performance of the players prior to the Laver Cup, you're advised to follow the online tennis betting odds especially leading towards the US Open to be held from 28 August to 10 September.
“The last member of Team Europe is going to be picked by Bjorn Borg as a captain’s pick is going to be Alexander Zverev,” Federer announced during the press conference at the JPMorgan Chase center.
“We are very excited about, because he’s had a wonderful year. It’s great news. We were very excited when we heard it."
Meanwhile, Team World’s captain John McEnroe said he was not ‘turning up to Prague to lose,’ and was excited to welcome Shapovalov and Del Potro into his team.
“I think this young man is going to be a great, great player in the future,” McEnroe referred to Shapovalov. “He’s a Canadian, but we won’t hold that against him. He’s also a left-hander, like Mr. Rod Laver and myself.”
McEnroe described Del Potro as a ‘tremendous young man, a little bit older and a veteran and a winner.’
Shapovalov is competing in the qualifying event of the US Open and joined the event in New York on his day off.
“It’s truly an honor to be sitting with past champions and present champions like yourselves, and, you know, I’m very happy to be here with all you guys.”
Federer, winner of 19 Grand Slam titles and two this year (the Australian Open and Wimbledon), said he could not wait to join with Rafael Nadal on Team Europe.
“For us to spend sort of a week together on the same team and, you know, exchanging ideas of how we could win the Laver Cup over the weekend, I think it’s going to be really highly entertaining for both of us.”
Players and captains alike paid tribute to Rod Laver, winner of the Grand Slam in 1962 and 1969, who the Laver Cup is named after.
McEnroe described Laver as his idol growing up and the perfect choice to be honored at this new and hyped event.
“We are looking to do something big here along the lines of the Ryder Cup in golf, and I think this is a magnificent way to try to get this going. It couldn’t be a better man to represent what we are trying to do here.”
Now head over to Geelung Cup Betting for a great online betting experience.
