Tennis legends to renew rivalry in Laver Cup
Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe will renew their rivalry as team captains in the newly formed Laver Cup – tennis’ version of the Ryder Cup.
Over three days Europe’s best players – captained by Borg – will go head-to-head with a rest of the world team led by McEnroe.
McEnroe and Borg clashed on the court on a regular basis during their playing careers, but starting in September 2017 they will watch from the sidelines as their selected sides face off for the Laver Cup.
Both captains will have two picks for their six-man squads, with the remaining four berths being allocated by rankings points scored on the ATP Tour.
Prague will hold the first edition of the tournament and it will become an annual event except for Olympic years, with four matches per day – three singles and one doubles – and each player required to play one singles match.
“This is our idea of the Ryder Cup,” McEnroe said at a media conference in New York. “It is a great thing for tennis.”
Borg added: “I really like the format. It is an honour [to be here], I am proud to be part of the first Laver Cup.
“The idea of Europe v the rest of the World is nothing we’ve ever seen before” – @rogerfederer#LaverCup pic.twitter.com/bSLGhhL4XJ
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) August 24, 2016
“We [Europe] have so many talented players, it will be interesting to see. I’m very happy.”
Current players Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer – who were both present at the media conference –Â will both hope to earn one of the four automatic spots in 12 months’ time, with the latter expecting the event to become a big deal on the tour in the future.
“I think it will stay exciting throughout the weekend, the pressure will build [over the days],” said the 17-time grand slam champion.
“I think the idea is something we’ve not seen in tennis, it is very special.”
