Laver Cup typically opens a little quietly on Friday, as the players clear their throats and get used to their cheerleading duties again, and fans settle in for a long weekend of tennis. The big stars, and the make-or-break matches, will come later.
On paper, that looks like it will be true again in Berlin in 2024. The schedule features a couple of newcomers in Thanasi Kokkinakis and Alejandro Tabilo, and a couple of lower-key personalities in Casper Ruud and Francisco Cerundolo. But fans get a taste of the potential fireworks to come with a nightcap doubles match between Carlos Alcaraz-Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz-Ben Shelton.
Here’s a look at look at each of Friday’s four matches. Going by the rankings, Team Europe is favored in each, but the head-to-head records tell a different story. Europe is the favorite for the Cup overall, which means World will want to steal any wins they can in the early going to stay in touch on the scoreboard.
