The Laver Cup has been slammed as having “no sporting value” with players only competing because “the cheque is huge”, according to Julien Benneteau.
The seventh edition of the Laver Cup, led by Roger Federer, took place in Berlin this weekend, with Team Europe lifting the title for a fifth time thanks to a narrow 13-11 victory over Team World.
ATP top-five stars Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, and Daniil Medvedev were all on Team Europe, with Team World led by the likes of Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, and Ben Shelton.
The event, which started back in 2017, has repeatedly attracted the biggest names in the men’s game, though its place and significance within the sport is still being debated.
Now, among the event’s harshest critics is Benneteau, a former world No. 25 and France’s current Billie Jean King Cup captain.
In a brutal verdict delivered on the podcast Grandes Gueules du Sport, the Frenchman claimed that money was the sole motivation for players to play – and that the event was far from being a tennis equivalent to golf’s iconic Ryder Cup.
“There is no emotion,” said Benneteau.
“When you win even an ATP 250, there is a sporting value. The Laver Cup has no sporting value because the selection is done at the whim of Federer and [Tony] Godsick, there is no sporting criteria.
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“The Ryder Cup, there are six players qualified thanks to their results and six others chosen by their captain. But these are sporting choices, not according to who you are represented on the ATP circuit, by which agency you are managed.
“[Alejandro] Tabilo in the world selection, is he the best? There is no sporting criteria.
“]Frances] Tiafoe and [Taylor] Fritz are not going to play the Davis Cup in China because there is no money but they are going to play the Laver Cup because they are taking a huge cheque.
“The players are only participating because the cheque is huge.”
Victorious Team Europe players received $250,000 for taking home the title, while Team World players earned $125,000 despite tasting defeat.
Next year’s event will be held in San Francisco with no further venues yet to be confirmed, while there is still speculation as to if and when a women’s event could be introduced.
Action in San Francisco will also birth a new era for the event, with Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe no longer in captaincy roles.
Yannick Noah will captain Team Europe, while Andre Agassi will lead Team World.
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