Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal Made 2017 Bigger but Is The 2026 Laver Cup Actually Stronger?
This analysis compares the 2017 inaugural Laver Cup roster with the projected 2026 lineup to determine which field is stronger. While the 2017 event featured legendary names like Federer and Nadal, the 2026 field shows greater depth in current ATP rankings.
Why it matters
It provides a data-driven perspective on how tennis talent depth has evolved over a decade, challenging the perception that 'star power' is the only metric for quality.
Put the first Laver Cup roster next to the current one and there is an obvious winner in one category. Name value. The inaugural 2017 edition had Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer on the same team, with a 20-year-old Alexander Zverev, Marin Cilic, Dominic Thiem and Tomas Berdych beside them. Team World brought Nick Kyrgios, John Isner, Jack Sock and several other recognisable names.
That is difficult to compete with. But name value and playing strength are not necessarily the same thing. If we ignore what those players eventually achieved and instead compare how highly they were actually ranked when each Laver Cup took place, the 2026 field holds up remarkably well.
In fact, from top to bottom, it may be deeper.
For the inaugural event in Prague, the final six-man Team Europe was Nadal, Federer, Zverev, Cilic, Thiem and Berdych. Their ATP rankings on September 18 2017 were:
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