Laver Cup won for the first time by John McEnroe’s world selection

London was the scene of two high-profile events last week. On Monday, the world watched the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and from Friday to Sunday, the eyes of sports fans were on the UK capital. The O2 Arena was the venue for the fifth edition of the Laver Cup, a prestigious team competition and, above all, a great tennis show.

The tournament, named after Australian legend Rod Laver, has so far been won by the European team led by Björn Borg. John McEnroe’s World No. 1 was therefore finally looking to end the wait for triumph, even though the paper favourite was the team from the old continent.

The clear highlight of the opening game was the last match of the career of Roger Federer, tennis icon and founder of the Laver Cup. Alongside his rival and friend Rafael Nadal, the Swiss took on the American duo of Jack Sock, Frances Tiafoe in the doubles.

The owner of twenty Grand Slam trophies eventually said goodbye in defeat. This was followed by a ceremony during which not only Federer was overcome with emotion several times. After the match, Nadal withdrew from the event because he is expecting the birth of a child.

The teams entered the second day, when a win counted as two points, with the score level at 2:2. Thanks to the victories of Matteo Berrettini and Novak Djokovic in the singles and doubles, Borg’s charges led 8:4 before Sunday’s programme. Taylor Fritz secured the only Saturday success for Team World in his duel with Cameron Norrie.

However, McEnroe’s selection dominated the final matches, which were about three points to the overall score. Sunday’s action started with the doubles, which was won by Félix Auger-Aliassime and Jack Sock over Matteo Berretti and Andy Murray after sets of 6::2, 6::3 and 10::8. After Auger-Aliassime’s two-set victory over Djokovic, the World was one step away from winning the Laver Cup for the first time.

And that became a reality after the following match. The match between Tiafoe and Tsitsipas had to be decided by a super tiebreak, which was played instead of the third set in the tournament. The American won it with a ratio of 10::8 and determined the final result of the clash 13::8 for the world team. The final singles match between Ruud and Fritz did not take place.

In 2023, fans of white sport can look forward to a unique experience in Vancouver, Canada, where Rogers Arena will host the event. The unique black court featuring the tennis stars will move to the Mercedes-Benz Arena in the German capital Berlin.

Match results for Laver Cup 2022

Friday, Sept. 23::

Casper Ruud – Jack Sock 6::4, 5::7, 10::7

Stefanos Tsitsipas – Diego Schwartzman 6::2, 6::1

Andy Murray – Alex de Minaur 7::5, 3::6, 7::10

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal – Jack Sock, Frances Tiafoe 6::4, 6::7 (2::7), 9::11

Saturday, Sept. 24::

Matteo Berrettini – Félix Auger-Aliassime 7::6 (13::11), 4::6, 10::7

Cameron Norrie – Taylor Fritz 1::6, 6::4, 8::10

Novak Djokovic – Frances Tiafoe 6::1, 6::3

Matteo Berrettini, Novak Djokovic – Alex de Minaur, Jack Sock 7::5, 6::2

Sunday 25::

Matteo Berrettini, Andy Murray – Félix Auger-Aliassime, Jack Sock 6::2, 3::6, 8::10

Novak Djokovic – Félix Auger-Aliassime 3::6, 6::7 (3::7)

Stefanos Tsitsipas – Frances Tiafoe 6::1, 6::7 (11::13), 8::10

Source: Laver Cup