Star power even without Taylor Swift

Steve Zacks simply wanted to praise the stars who will be attending the Laver Cup in Berlin this week. “We have Taylor … Swift,” said the CEO – and immediately had a laugh on his side. No, the US pop star will not be performing in the Uber Arena, he meant tennis player Taylor Fritz, the finalist of the US Open just two weeks ago.

Zacks would certainly have nothing against a performance by Taylor Swift, especially since he is now lacking a bit of star power in Berlin. A week ago, Rafael Nadal canceled his participation in the tennis team competition. The emotional end to his career at the Laver Cup that many had hoped for, as Roger Federer had celebrated in London in 2022, has therefore not happened.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Jannik Sinner is also missing from Team Europe’s squad, as is Olympic champion Novak Djokovic. The world class field in Berlin from Friday to Sunday is still plenty of world class, but six players from the top ten will still be playing. No other men’s tennis event in Germany can boast such a field. In addition, there are the legends Björn Borg and John McEnroe as captains of Team Europe and Team World.

Since its first event in Prague in 2017, the Laver Cup has tried to strike a balance between show event and serious sporting competition. The event initiated by Roger Federer has now established itself, even if the Ryder Cup in golf, which serves as a role model, has more prestige – if only because of its long tradition.

For captains Borg and McEnroe it is the last Laver Cup

“The Laver Cup has developed into pretty much exactly what we expected it to be,” said John McEnroe in a joint interview with Björn Borg on Tuesday shortly after his arrival in Berlin. The Swede even said: “This is the most important week of the year for me.” “Just because I get to see my good friend John, which always makes me very happy.”

The two tennis legends have always served as captains since the premiere, and the seventh Laver Cup will now be their last. They will hand over to Yannick Noah (Europe) and Andre Agassi (World).

The European team won the first four events, but recently won the world selection twice. In terms of form, John McEnroe currently has the strongest player in his squad. In addition to Taylor Fritz, there are also the two other Americans, Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton.

But on Monday, brother and vice-captain Patrick McEnroe said of the opponents from Europe: “They are really in an excellent position.” Carlos Alcaraz, the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion, is making his debut in the Laver Cup. Then there is Alexander Zverev, who has a home game in Berlin and has the best record of all players in this competition. Europe has never lost with him on the court.

Björn Borg reacted to Rafael Nadal’s cancellation by nominating Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, who is number ten in the world and could even be a sporting upgrade compared to the ageing Spanish tennis hero. Borg believed: “We have a good chance of winning.” Europe is back in the game. And how special would a victory like that be here in Berlin.”