Which player is the Laver Cup named after?

The Laver Cup is named after Australian tennis champion Rod Laver.

Laver is one of the sport’s most celebrated players and the only man to complete a calendar-year Grand Slam in the Open Era. He won all four major singles titles in 1962 as an amateur and again in 1969 as a professional, giving the event’s name a direct connection to tennis history.

The competition began in 2017 as a men’s team event between Team Europe and Team World. It was created by Roger Federer’s management company TEAM8 in partnership with businessman Jorge Paulo Lemann and Tennis Australia, and was conceived as a tennis counterpart to golf’s Ryder Cup.

The Laver Cup’s trophy also references Laver’s career. Its design evokes his “Rocket” nickname, while four rings represent his two Grand Slam sweeps. The event is not named after Roy Emerson, John Newcombe or Ken Rosewall, although all three were major Australian figures from the same era.