Wimbledon runner-up Kevin Anderson and John Isner, the No. 1 American and Anderson’s opponent in their memorable SW19 semifinal, were confirmed to Team World for September’s Laver Cup, John McEnroe said Friday.
McEnroe, the Team World captain, also confirmed that Diego Schwartzman will play at the second staging of the event, set for Chicago this year.
Anderson (No. 5), Isner (No. 9) and Schwartzman (No. 11) are three of the four highest ranked non-European players at the moment. World No. 4 Juan Martin del Potro, the top non-European, had already been named to the team.
“Both Kevin and John have big games and they’ll add massive firepower to our team,” McEnroe said in a statement. “It was incredible to watch them as rivals battle it out on center court at Wimbledon in that marathon semifinal match, with neither of them prepared to concede a point. And in Chicago, at Laver Cup, we’ll see them come together as teammates.
“And then we add in the grittiness, determination and agility of Diego Schwartzman, whose consistency at the highest level has been impressive over the past 18 months.”
All three players have played at or near their career bests of late. Anderson, also the runner-up at the US Open last year, sits at his career high ranking. Isner, who played at last year’s Laver Cup, won his first Masters event in Miami this year, and his Wimbledon semifinal was his first major final four. Schwartzman won his biggest career title in Rio de Janeiro this year and has reached two major quarterfinals in the last 12 months.
McEnroe previously named Nick Kyrgios his first captain’s pick; he has one remaining to select the sixth player for his team. Jack Sock and Kei Nishikori are the highest ranked non-Europeans not named to the team, while wild cards like Milos Raonic and Denis Shapovalov could also be in the mix.
Top names like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are expected to feature for Team Europe, which won the inaugural event last year. The Laver Cup begins Sept. 21.
“This is a tremendous team and with one more player still to be selected, I’d say Team World is in great shape, looking pretty well-rounded and convincing, and more than capable of taking on Team Europe,” McEnroe said. “I have a feeling this will be our year.”
