Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner produced one of the great Grand Slam finals of all-time at the French Open on Sunday, with Alcaraz prevailing in five sets to win his fifth major title. The ‘New Two’ have replaced the ‘Big Three’ atop the tennis world, creating a rivalry worthy of any of the sport’s greatest. And with Sinner just 23 years old and Alcaraz 22, it could just be getting started.
And while the two titans have produced an extraordinary level of tennis when facing off against each other, what would it look like if they were on the same side of the net? There is a chance we will find out three months from now.
Alcaraz has already announced a commitment to the eighth edition of the Laver Cup, a team tennis concept introduced by Roger Federer in 2017 that features Team Europe vs. Team World. Federer famously paired with his No. 1 rival, Rafael Nadal, in doubles for the final match of his legendary career at the 2022 Laver Cup. Could Alcaraz and Sinner try their hand at doubles together?
What is the Laver Cup?
The 2025 Laver Cup, which will be played at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Sept. 19-21, is an annual three-day event that features top players from Europe against top players from the rest of the world. They compete in singles and doubles with a scoring system that ups the stakes as the weekend progresses.
The concept is similar to the Ryder Cup in golf, which features the top European players against the top Americans.
Team Europe has beaten Team World in five of the first seven Laver Cups. Bjorn Borg served as the captain for Team Europe in the event’s first seven editions, and his rival John McEnroe captained Team World. This year’s event will feature two new captains, as Yannick Noah will take over for Team Europe and Andre Agassi will captain Team World.
MORE: Everything to know about the 2025 Laver Cup captains
Who will play in the 2025 Laver Cup?
There are six players on each roster, with up to two alternates invited to participate. The three highest ranked players from each side get an automatic invitation to play, and then there are three ‘captain’s picks’ for the remaining three roster slots.
The automatic invitations are based on the rankings following the French Open.
Seven players have already committed to the event, either as captain’s picks or automatic invitations. For Team World, Americans Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton will be there, along with rising star Joao Fonseca of Brazil. For Team Europe, Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev and Holger Rune will be there.
Here is our best guess on what the final rosters will look like for the 2025 Laver Cup.
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Team Europe Laver Cup commitments
Carlos Alcaraz – As the World No. 2, Alcaraz will take one of the ‘automatic’ invitation slots, since he has already committed. Alcaraz participated for the first time in 2024 and beat Fritz in straight sets in the final match to earn three points and give Europe the 13-11 victory.
Alexander Zverev – Zverez is the World No. 3 and, like Alcaraz, has already committed. This will be his sixth Laver Cup, and Team Europe has won the event all five times he has participated.
Holger Rune – After the French Open, Rune is No. 9 in the ATP rankings, meaning he will likely fill a ‘captain’s pick’ slot with several European players ranked ahead of him. The 22-year-old from Denmark has never been to the Laver Cup, and his No. 9 ranking is a career high.
Team World Laver Cup commitments
Taylor Fritz – Fritz stands at No. 7 after his stunning first-round departure at the French Open, which is still the highest-ranked player for Team World. He will take the first ‘automatic’ invitation and return to the Laver Cup for the fifth time.
Tommy Paul – After a run to the French Open quarterfinals, Paul has risen to a career-high World No. 8. He served as an alternate at the Laver Cup in 2022 and participated in Team World’s win in 2023.
Ben Shelton – Shelton will either be the third ‘automatic’ or a ‘captain’s pick’ depending on whether Alex de Minaur decides to accept the ‘automatic’ invitation. Shelton, the World No. 12, is returning to the Laver Cup for the third straight year.
Joao Fonseca – The 18-year-old is the youngest player in the top 280, checking in at No. 57 after reaching the third round in Paris. He will be a ‘captain’s pick’ and one of the most watched players at the event.
Potential Laver Cup participants
Team Europe
Jannik Sinner – Sinner remains World No. 1 and will receive an invitation for Team Europe. He has yet to participate in the Laver Cup, so it remains to be seen if Federer can use his influence to get Sinner on the same team, and perhaps the same doubles pairing, as his rival Alcaraz.
Jack Draper – If Sinner passes, Draper will get the next automatic invitation as the World No. 4. Even if Sinner accepts, Draper is a logical ‘captain’s pick’ for Noah. The Englishman has enjoyed a steady rise up the rankings to his career-best spot and will be a local fan favorite at the upcoming Wimbledon.
Novak Djokovic – Djokovic stands as the World No. 5, but would the 38-year-old be willing to travel to San Francisco two weeks after the U.S. Open? He participated in 2018 Laver Cup, then returned for Federer’s farewell in 2022. The guess here is he will not opt to participate in 2025.
Lorenzo Musetti – The Italian reached the semifinals at Roland Garros and is having the best year of his career and would likely jump at the chance to play in his first Laver Cup if healthy.
Daniil Medvedev – The 29-year-old Russian is No. 11 and has competed in two Laver Cups, but both were on European soil. He may pass on traveling back to the U.S. in late September.
Arthur Fils – With Noah as captain, it is hard to picture the 20-year-old Frenchman passing on a chance to play for his country’s OG. Fils is another rising star that would be a perfect fit for another big stage.
Team World
Alex de Minaur – The Laver Cup would love to have Australia represented for the seventh time in eight events, and de Minaur will get an ‘automatic’ invitation as the World No. 9.
Francis Tiafoe – Tiafoe matches Zverev for the most Laver Cup appearances with five. He should make it six, either as a captain’s pick or as an ‘automatic’. He is World No. 13.
Alexi Popyrin – Should de Minaur pass, Popyrin would be a worthy Aussie for Team World. He is enjoying a career-high No. 21 ranking after reaching the fourth round of the French Open.
Felix Auger-Aliassime – FAA has played in three Laver Cups and was a key player on both winning Team World sides. He would be a worthy ‘captain’s pick’ for Agassi as he is 2-0 in doubles competition at the Laver Cup.
Final Laver Cup Roster Projection
Team Europe
| Jannik Sinner | rankings pick |
| Carlos Alcaraz* | rankings pick |
| Alexander Zverev* | rankings pick |
| Jack Draper | captain’s pick |
| Holger Rune* | captain’s pick |
| Arthur Fils | captain’s pick |
Team World
| Taylor Fritz* | rankings pick |
| Tommy Paul* | rankings pick |
| Ben Shelton* | rankings pick |
| Francis Tiafoe | captain’s pick |
| Felix Auger-Aliassime | captain’s pick |
| Joao Fonseca* | captain’s pick |
* – already committed
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