Sock & Fritz Round Out Team World For Laver Cup In Geneva

Team World Captain John McEnroe has named Jack Sock and Taylor Fritz to his team for Laver Cup 2019, taking place in Geneva from 20-22 September.

“Jack has been our MVP for the past two years and I’m delighted he’ll be joining us in Geneva this year,” McEnroe said.

“We’ve got to be strategic, Team Europe is going to be tough to beat. For us, doubles has been very important over the past couple of years. We’ve won the great majority of our doubles matches and obviously Jack was a big part of that.

“He’s one of the best doubles players in the world, tremendously versatile and a great team player – it’s an environment he thrives in. I think he may very well be the key to success for us in Geneva.”

Sock can’t wait to play the Laver Cup for a third time.

“I look forward to playing Laver Cup every year and experiencing the amazing team atmosphere and camaraderie. It’s probably the best atmosphere any of us have ever played in.

“I’m fortunate to be playing with some of my best friends on tour, we all get on really well and have a lot of fun. You know the other guys have your back out there, they’re supporting you, watching your whole match, it makes you want to play your best, and I think it happens and can make a huge difference.

“For the first two years Team World has really hung in there and we’ve definitely had our chances to win, and it’s been so close. If a couple of points here and there had gone the other way, you know we could’ve been holding the trophy in both years.

“Being in his home country we’re expecting an insane number of Roger and Team Europe fans, but you know we had a similar experience in Prague so we’re used to it. We’re definitely heavy underdogs but it’s going to be fun to get out there to try and prove people wrong, and cause a big upset.”

McEnroe announced World No. 30 Taylor Fritz will join Team World, as Kevin Anderson withdrew from the Laver Cup due to the knee injury that also prevented him playing at the US Open.

“Taylor Fritz is having the best season of his career, he’s shown some blistering form this year, and had a rapid rise up the rankings to hit a high of World No. 25,” McEnroe said.

“Taylor is one of the young guns to watch in world tennis. He’s only 21 years old, he gets on great with all the guys and he’ll be a great addition to the team in Geneva.

“I know Kevin is disappointed he can’t play Laver Cup this year – he was fantastic in Chicago – and we all wish him the very best with his rehab and look forward to seeing him back on the court soon,” McEnroe continued.

Laver Cup fast facts:
• The Laver Cup is a three-day tournament pitting a team of six of the best tennis players from Europe against six of their counterparts from the rest of the world
• Björn Borg is captain of Team Europe and John McEnroe is captain of Team World
• Thomas Enqvist and Patrick McEnroe are vice captains of Team Europe and Team World, respectively
• Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Fabio Fognini are confirmed to play for Team Europe
• John Isner, Milos Raonic, Nick Kyrgios, Taylor Fritz, Denis Shapovalov and Jack Sock will play for Team World
• The tournament is named in honor of Australian tennis legend Rod Laver, the only man to win two calendar-year Grand Slams, and one of the greatest players of all time
• The unique format of the tournament showcases tennis superstars competing on the same team, playing singles, pairing up in doubles and cheering each other on from the sidelines
• The inaugural Laver Cup was held at the O2 arena in Prague, Czech Republic, in September 2017, with Team Europe defeating Team World 15-9
• In September 2018 more than 90,000 fans attended the Laver Cup at the United Center in Chicago, where Team Europe once again edged out Team World to win the second Laver Cup 13-8
• The location will rotate between major cities in Europe and the rest of the world each year.

LAVER CUP 2019 – TEAMS

Team Europe
Captain: Bjorn Borg
[2] Rafael Nadal
[3] Roger Federer
[5] Dominic Thiem
[6] Alexander Zverev
[7] Stefanos Tsitsipas
[11] Fabio Fognini

Team World
Captain: John McEnroe
[20] John Isner
[24] Milos Raonic
[27] Nick Kyrgios
[30] Taylor Fritz
[33] Denis Shapovalov
[37 doubles] Jack Sock

from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/34D5YgC