The 2026 Laver Cup is over, and Team Europe are the victors once again.
Before the weekend had begun, many did favour Yannick Noah’s side to reclaim the title from Andre Agassi’s Team World, given the gulf in quality between the two sets of players on paper.
Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev and Flavio Cobolli were all higher ranked than the Reds’ highest-ranked player, Alex de Minaur, yet the event remained hugely competitive, dragged into a deciding third day.
Afterwards, the players of both teams exhibited just how much this tournament meant to them, as the European side celebrated their win passionately, and the Rest of the World cut downbeat figures.
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Critics of this tournament would have it labelled as an exhibition match and argue that the participants are unbothered by the outcome.
I was at the O2 this weekend covering the Laver Cup, and can safely say that is not the case.
The 2026 Laver Cup was a huge success despite big withdrawals
This year’s iteration of the Laver Cup was rocked by two big withdrawals for Team World, which massively shifted the dynamic over who might claim the title.
Joao Fonseca, who will miss the entire Asian swing, was the first to pull out, before Ben Shelton, who rushed straight from his US Open final defeat to Davis Cup duty, quickly followed suit.
As such, Agassi’s squad was massively hampered, and many feared for the competitiveness of the weekend.
Fortunately, their replacements in Learner Tien and Brandon Nakashima more than held their own, both putting points on the board for their side.
The fact that it went to the Sunday is a testament to Agassi and his squad, who dug deep against the odds to turn this tournament into a spectacle once more.
However, that only scratches the surface of all that was great about the Laver Cup.
The Laver Cup is exactly what tennis needs
Speaking after the loss, Agassi laughed at critics of the Laver Cup, encouraging them to come and visit the event and see first-hand how invested the players are.
And it’s true; they absolutely do love it.
At times, the format of it all can seem a little bit ridiculous, with the players reacting on the benches courtside, and the celebrations with their captains mid-match.
However, it only feels that way because of what we have become used to with tennis.
That is what makes the Laver Cup so special; its uniqueness certainly has a place within the sport, and the fact that it is reserved for just this event should be celebrated rather than lambasted.
Roger Federer is not trying to reinvent tennis with this tournament.
As a standalone competition, it deserves huge praise for putting a modern spin on the sport where the content is arguably at its peak, the players and coaches are completely invested, the dynamic format keeps fans invested throughout, and the stars of the show are allowed to show far more personality than they ever could during a normal ATP event.
It’s a beautiful, well-polished product, and across the weekend, it allowed journalists and content creators to both put their own spin on proceedings without feeling forced.
My only hope for future iterations of the Laver Cup is that it can truly expand its horizons and explore some of the lesser-explored corners of the globe, bringing tennis to new destinations, as initially promised by Federer and Tony Godsick.
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