Laver Cup line-up revealed as Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev take a back seat

Kevin Palmer 24 Sep 2026 5:00 PM

2026 Laver Cup team photo

The line-up has been released for the opening day of the Laver Cup, with the Team Europe captain Yannick Noah holding back some of his biggest hitters.

Noah and his team are in London as they look to gain revenge for their defeat against Team World in last year’s edition of the tournament, with the European team strong favourites as they have the strongest line-up.

The opening day has the lowest number of points on offer and that may explain why Noah has opted against using seven-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz and reigning French Open and US open champion Alexander Zverev in his singles line-up.

Alcaraz will play in the evening doubles match alongside Jakub Mensik, with the Spaniard likely to be picked to play in singles matches on Saturday and Sunday.

Team World captain Andre Agassi has also opted not to field his highest-ranked players, with Alex de Minaur and Taylor Fritz saved back until Saturday, with the later set to play in the doubles on Friday.

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This is the line-up for the opening day at the Laver Cup:

Casper Ruud (Europe) v Francisco Cerundolo (World)

This will be a rematch of their Laver Cup 2024 opener in Berlin, with Ruud looking to gain some revenge for a defeat in that contest two years ago.

Cerundolo leads the head-to-head in this contest 5-4, so it should be a tight affair.

Jakub Mensik (Europe) v Brandon Nakashima (World)

A big serving contest will be in store as Mensik and Nakashima renew a rivalry that features one previous encounter.

Nakashima won that match in Washington earlier this year, with the 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-4 result confirming they are evenly matched.

Rafael Jodar (Europe) v Alexander Bublik (World)

This promises to be an entertaining contest, with Jodar continuing his incredible rise to prominence by appearing in the Laver Cup.

Bublik has also enjoyed a revival in fortunes and this will be a first meeting between the duo.

Jakub Mensik & Carlos Alcaraz (Europe) v Alexander Bublik & Taylor Fritz (World)

This should be an entertaining end to day one, as Alcaraz and Fritz take to the stage for the first time.

The diluted points on offer for each team ensure the results of the opening matches will not give either side a big advantage heading into Saturday.

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How it works:

* The winning team must reach 13 points. If the competition is tied after 12 matches – a final overtime doubles match is played as a regular set with ad scoring and a tiebreak.

* The tournament consists of five sessions played over three days (Friday – Sunday).

* Each player competes in at least one singles match during the first two days.

* No player can play singles more than twice during the three days.

* At least four of the six players must play doubles. No doubles combination is played more than once, unless for the Decider on Day 3, if points are 12:12.

* Each match win is worth one point on Friday, two points on Saturday, and three points on Sunday.

* The winning team must reach 13 points.