The iconic Brandenburg Gate brings together all the participants of the Laver Cup | ATP Tour

Making Cup

The iconic Brandenburg Gate brings together all Laver Cup participants

The tournament starts on Friday in Berlin

September 18, 2024

Legends from the past and present stood in front of an iconic Berlin landmark on Wednesday for the official photo of the 2024 Laver Cup.

Captains and players taking part in this year’s edition of the team event headed to the German capital’s Brandenburg Gate for a spectacular sunset photo opportunity. Former PIF ATP Rankings No. 1s Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe are this year’s captains of Team Europe and Team World respectively for the seventh and final time, and will have some of the world’s top talent to choose from on September 20-22 at the Uber Arena.

Team Europe’s line-up includes Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud, Grigor Dimitrov and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Flavio Cobolli and Jan-Lennard Struff are reserves. Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion Alcaraz is looking forward to his debut at an event that pits six of Europe’s top stars against six players from the rest of the world.

“I think it’s a unique event,” Alcaraz told the media after the photo shoot. “I’m supporting my opponents the rest of the year, so it’s going to be a little weird for me, but I think it’s going to be fun. The format is also unique, so I’m really excited to get the event started and see what Friday and the weekend will be like. I’m really happy to be here at the Laver Cup.”

“Well, your Majesty!”

The greeting between the captains of the Laver Cup and Roger Federer 🥰@rogerfederer | @LaverCup | #LaverCup

— ATP Tour in Spanish (@ATPTour_ES) September 18, 2024

World No. 7 Taylor Fritz is the highest-ranked star on Team World. The American will be hoping to back up his strong US Open campaign, where he made his debut as a Grand Slam finalist, with a strong showing in Berlin.

“I’m really excited to be here,” said Fritz. “I’ve heard really good things about Berlin and I’m really enjoying it so far. It’s one of those places where, if there hadn’t been the Laver Cup, I might never have had the chance to come.”

For McEnroe, the fact that this is his last appearance as captain of Team World is an extra motivation. The American hopes to lead his team, which includes Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Ben Shelton, Alejandro Tabilo, Francisco Cerúndolo and Thanasi Kokkinakis, to a third consecutive Laver Cup triumph.

“My idol growing up was Rod Laver, and Roger Federer was the most beautiful player, one of the best people I’ve ever met. He was the one who came up with this idea, and to be able to do this with my best rival and great friend Bjorn Borg is great,” McEnroe told ATPTour.com. “It’s pretty tough and when you lose, it sucks, but it’s still a great experience to be a part of this. Hopefully, since we finally won the last two, we can say goodbye with another win.”