Tennis Set For Ryder-cup Style Competition

Tennis is looking at the development of a new team-focused men’s tournament, which could be added to the sporting calendar in 2017.

The tournament, set to be named after Australian tennis player Rod Laver, is the creation of Roger Federer and his representative agency, Team8, along with Brazilian businessman Jorge Paulo Lemann, a former Davis Cup player.

Details of the tournament were announced at a press conference at the Australian Open grand slam tournament in Melbourne, where the venture has gained the support of Tennis Australia.

The competition is set to take on a similar format to the Ryder Cup, and would pit a European team against a team from the rest of the world.  

The tournament would take place annually, with the exception of years in which the summer Olympic Games are held. The first edition is scheduled to take place in Europe in September 2017, with the intention of rotating between European and international venues after that.

According to media reports, the tournament will feature two teams of six players. Four of the players on each team will qualify through their world ranking, while a further two players will be picked by a team captain. The three-day event would feature singles and doubles matches.

“We have notified the top players… and their management teams,” Craig Tiley, Australian Open tournament director and chief executive of Tennis Australia, said. “The feedback has been positive. We expect great participation from the top players.”

Tony Godsick, head of Team8 and Federer’s agent, added: “You’ve seen what’s happened with the Ryder Cup and where it is today and we believe it’s going to be a stop on the calendar which will be a must-do for the players and the fans.”

Federer and Laver both stressed that they hope the event is played in the spirit of a true competition. “You want it to be that way,” Federer told media.

“You want it to be meaningful, and I think if the top guys go and play and they understand that they are representing in my case not only Switzerland but the continent of Europe, I think it could be really, really interesting, to be quite honest. But it needs to be played full-out, give everything you have. It has to be that way, otherwise it’s going to be some exhibition that could be played anywhere in the world.”

At world No.7, Japan’s Kei Nishikori is the only non-European among the current men’s top 10, which includes the likes of Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Stanislas Wawrinka and Rafael Nadal.