McEnroe Defends Laver Cup Despite Criticism, Scheduling Challenges

Patrick McEnroe is stepping down as the vice-captain of Team World at the Laver Cup after this weekend, but he wants tennis observers to know that the heavily criticized tournament is more than just a showcase.

“A lot of people have come up to me over the years and say, ‘It’s an exhibition,’ or ‘The players don’t take it seriously.’ That could not be farther from the truth. The players take a tremendous amount of pride,” McEnroe tells Front Office Sports.

The Laver Cup is tennis’s version of golf’s Ryder Cup, but tennis’s version pits six of the top European players against players from the rest of the world. The tournament has created some dream teams—including Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer playing together in the latter’s final professional match.

But the Laver Cup, which holds its seventh edition this weekend, is still building its legacy and credibility among fans and players, unlike the nearly 100-year existence of its golf counterpart. Top talent has chosen to skip the tournament throughout the years, including Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic this year. And just last week, Nadal decommitted from the tournament.

Schedule Changes

The biggest challenge for the Laver Cup has been how it fits into the overall tennis schedule, which McEnroe describes as “very crowded.” This year, the tournament follows the Davis Cup, another international team event, but one that has been around for more than a century. And the week before is the US Open, the final Grand Slam of the year.

McEnroe says the Laver Cup and Davis Cup should consider following the Ryder Cup, which is held every other year, which could help keep the tournaments from cannibalizing one another’s talent. However, he knows that’s a tall task given the bureaucracy in tennis.

“The more team events you can have that have a meaning to it … they help grow the game,” McEnroe says. “But that’s like a pie in the sky because to get the different organizing bodies together to agree on these things is what’s always proved to be challenging in professional tennis.”

The Davis Cup is established by the International Tennis Federation, while the Laver Cup is managed by a joint group including Federer’s management company Team8 Sports & Entertainment.

Pick Your Spot

To recruit players, the Laver Cup also provides a financial incentive for players—unlike in the Ryder Cup, where there is no purse. In 2022, the purse for Laver Cup participants was $2.2 million, and each player was guaranteed a six-figure payday.

But even with the financial incentive, McEnroe says it’s “unrealistic” to have all the top players in the world at the Laver Cup every year because he understands that some need to rest given the tennis calendar.

Several players have complained in recent years about the schedule, with the most high-profile voice being women’s World No. 1 Iga Świątek. But McEnroe, a former tennis pro, says there’s little chance that the schedule will change. He thinks the top players who have the financial flexibility simply need to pick their spots better.

“They’ve been talking about the schedule in tennis for like 50 years. Let me let you in on a little secret—nothing really significant is going to change,” McEnroe says. “You have to pick your spots when you’re Iga Świątek and you’re trying to win majors.”