Laver Cup chiefs open up on future plans as tournament eyes expansion beyond North America

The Laver Cup is a tournament that has been cemented on the ATP calendar for some time now. Many top talents, including the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev, make it a firm plan of their schedules as the event continues to grow. With that comes questions about the future of the tournament and what new editions will crop up.

Tony Godsick, Roger Federer's agent, and Steve Zacks, the tournament's CEO, spoke to the media about what routes the Laver Cup could go down. It ranged from introducing a women's event to the possibility of traversing to new places around the world.

The Laver Cup is solely a men's event featuring the best ATP players in the world. There is no women's version of the event, and it does not seem that there are any plans of creating one in the near future.

"Why fix something that isn't broken? This is a men's event, but there are already mixed competitions and joint tournaments. We have the United Cup, the Hopman Cup, and World TeamTennis. The mixed format already exists.

"We can keep introducing small changes while innovating, but we are not thinking about changing the format or the composition of the teams. There are always aspects that can be improved. We are obsessed with details and providing an extraordinary experience for players, fans, and the media."

The aim is to solely focus on the ATP Circuit and attract the biggest and most recognisable names along with new faces to participate on a regular basis.

"We want to get closer to the ATP circuit, something we have already achieved to some extent. We also want to attract players who have not yet participated and get them to come. We want to present the tennis players in an environment that isn't typically seen in other tournaments. We do not intend to replace what already exists but to bring something different."

The location of the Laver Cup changes each year. It is split between Europe and the rest of the world, alternating every year. However, the rest of the world is a stretch because the Laver Cup has only been hosted in North America.

While the European countries have varied from the Czech Republic, Switzerland, England and Germany, the furthest it has been away from the USA was the 2023 version in Vancouver, Canada. South America, Africa, Asia and Oceania have not had a look in as of yet.

The 10th edition of the Laver Cup is next year, and the North American trend will continue in Los Angeles. "As we approach our tenth anniversary, we are exploring different options for the future. We want to modernise what we do, maintain interaction with fans, and find locations where there is a need for tennis.

"It is a good time to step back and analyse where we have been and where we want to go as an event, beyond the location. That is what we are doing. The interesting thing is that the project is quite flexible. When we think about what comes after Los Angeles, we have many options on the table, and we are evaluating them."

They did intend on travelling all around the world when first starting, but their minds have since been opened and the prospect of that is much harder. "When we launched the competition, we said we wanted to travel to places all over the world. We didn’t realise everything we needed in a venue. We were not sports venue experts and had to work with a group that helped us acquire that knowledge.

"It is very difficult to find facilities that have the necessary number of seats and are located in a city or country where our sponsors want to be. Currently, we have 25 sponsors, so there are many voices indicating where and when they would like us to go. There are countless factors we had not anticipated when conceiving the project."

It is still something that they are hopeful of doing one day in the future. "In any event or project, you have to innovate, change, and adapt. That is what we are doing. We would love to bring the Laver Cup to Africa and South America, but we need to find a covered venue that can host the tournament for a certain period and meets all specifications."

The logistical problems in sending it to new places do not match with the ambitious plans the Laver Cup has as the exhibition continues to go from strength to strength. It seems, for at least the time being, that this certain avenue is blocked, but that could all change in the future.