Laver Cup: Big Four all qualify but Novak Djokovic won't play

The six-man teams for the Europe v Rest of the World clash, which is being dubbed ‘the Ryder Cup of tennis’, are almost determined following the conclusion of Wimbledon.

The top four players eligible for each team on the post-Wimbledon ranking list automatically qualify.

For the European side, those positions are occupied by Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

However, Federer, whose management company is among the organisers of the new event, said on Monday that Djokovic would not be heading to Prague.

"Novak has already said 'no'," the Wimbledon champion said. "He is expecting another child in that period.

"I am waiting for an answer from Murray. It would be great to have him involved.”

Both Federer and Nadal have already confirmed they will play, although whether Murray joins them or not could well depend on how his hip injury heals.

With Djokovic absent, Stan Wawrinka becomes an automatic qualifier with Wimbledon runner-up Marin Cilic the next man in line.

For the World team, Kei Nishikori - their highest-ranked player at number eight -  Milos Raonic, Jack Sock and Nick Kyrgios have all qualified.  

The teams will be made up to six by two captain’s picks – Bjorn Borg will lead Europe and John McEnroe the World team.

Borg looks set to choose Tomas Berdych and Dominic Thiem with both having signed up to the new project which has been set up by a consortium which includes Federer’s management company, TEAM8, and Tennis Australia.

McEnroe seems likely to select John Isner, another who has already agreed to play in Prague on a hardcourt from September 22-24.

The captain’s picks will be confirmed following the US Open which ends just 12 days before the Laver Cup begins.

The tournament will see the teams compete in a series of 12 matches. Each of the three days will see three singles and one doubles.

Each match on the opening day will be worth one point with the day-two contests worth two. The final day will have the most points at stake – three for the winners of each match. The first team to reach 13 points wins the Laver Cup. The scoring system has been designed so that the destination of the trophy is guaranteed to be determined on the last day.

Laver Cup teams

Europe

Automatic qualifiers

Andy Murray*
Rafael Nadal
Roger Federer
Stan Wawrinka*

Captain's picks (TBC)

Dominic Thiem
Tomas Berdych

Novak Djokovic qualified but will not play

World

Automatic qualifiers

Kei Nishikori*
Milos Raonic
Jack Sock*
Nick Kyrgios*

Captain's picks (TBC)

John Isner
A N Other

Players with asterisks are yet to confirm ther participation