Ryder Cup-style competition coming for men’s tennis

MELBOURNE: Men’s teams from Europe and the Rest of the World will begin a Ryder Cup-style competition in 2017 that will be named after Australian great Rod Laver, organisers said on Friday.

The Laver Cup, styled after golf’s biennial Ryder Cup tournament, will see teams of six compete in both singles and doubles over three days, with four players selected on a “results-based formula” and two named as captain’s picks.

The first edition of the tournament, which will be staged annually barring summer Olympic years, is expected to be held in Europe.

“I’m certainly honoured that it warrants the name the Laver Cup,” the 77-year-old Laver, the only player to win two calendar year grand slams and 11 in total, told reporters.

A European team would be heavily favoured at present, with Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, Rafa Nadal and Tomas Berdych the top six ranked players in the world.