Arthur Fery Gets Surprise Team Europe Call-Up for Laver Cup in London

A HOMECOMING CALL-UP

British No. 1 Arthur Fery has been named a Team Europe alternate for this weekend's Laver Cup in London, days after leading the British side to a win over Ecuador in the Davis Cup at the Copper Box Arena. The 24-year-old, who reached the semifinals of Wimbledon in July, will practice with Yannick Noah's six-strong Team Europe squad and fill in at The O2 should there be an injury or withdrawal.

"It's an honour to be part of Team Europe at Laver Cup, especially here at home in London," Fery said. "I grew up going to The O2, so to come back as part of Team Europe in front of the British fans is something I'm really proud of and am looking forward to. It's going to be great to be around some of the best players in the world and learn from them. I'll be ready to do whatever is required of me to support my teammates from the bench."

Team Europe's six-man roster consists of Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Flavio Cobolli, Rafael Jodar, Jakub Mensik and Casper Ruud.

TEAM WORLD MAKES A SIMILAR MOVE

Team World has named Peruvian world No. 35 Ignacio Buse as its alternate, backing up a lineup of Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz, Brandon Nakashima, Alexander Bublik, Learner Tien and Francisco Cerundolo. Nakashima stepped into the main lineup after US Open finalist Ben Shelton withdrew from the event last week.

"Laver Cup is a historic event and I'm very excited to be part of it," Buse said. "It's an incredible opportunity to be surrounded by so many great players and icons of the sport and to have someone with Andre Agassi's experience as a coach. I'm going to enjoy it, learn as much as I can and make the most of the experience."

THE HISTORY AT THE O2

This week's event marks the ninth Laver Cup overall, following the tournament's 2017 debut in Prague. The last edition held at The O2 in 2022 is remembered as Roger Federer's final professional match, and also featured three-time Grand Slam finalist Andy Murray for Team Europe. Team World has won three of the last four editions after Team Europe swept the first four.

WHY IT MATTERS

Alternate call-ups like Fery's and Buse's underline how thin Laver Cup rosters run compared to other team events, with a single injury or late withdrawal, as already happened with Shelton, able to reshape a team's lineup just days before play begins.