Laver Cup London rivals and teammates dive onto grass

The tennis calendar has reached one of its most distinctive passages.

With Roland-Garros complete and Wimbledon just weeks away, the sport’s attention shifts from the slow grind of clay to the faster, lower-bouncing lawns across Europe and the UK. The grass-court season may be the shortest stretch of the year, but it remains one of its most significant, offering players a chance to shine on the surface that once defined the game.

Few understood grass-court tennis better than Rod Laver, the man whose name now adorns the Laver Cup. Nine of his 11 major singles titles came on grass: four at Wimbledon (1961, 1962, 1968 and 1969), three majors in Australia (1960, 1962 and 1969), and two in the US (1962 and 1969), the latter victories helping complete his calendar-year Grand Slams. He also conquered the clay of Paris in both 1962 and 1969, a reminder of the versatility that made Laver one of the sport’s greatest champions.

As the players bound for Laver Cup London 2026 make the transition to grass, their success on the surface varies. Some arrive as proven contenders, others are still writing their grass-court stories, but all have their sights set on Wimbledon before the season continues toward New York and, ultimately, London in September for the ninth edition of Laver Cup.

Major success

Team Europe’s Carlos Alcaraz owns the standout grass-court record among the players selected for London. A Wimbledon champion in 2023 and 2024 and runner-up in 2025, the Spaniard will not contest this year’s grass-court swing as he continues a precautionary recovery from a wrist injury and prepares for the hard court swing. That leaves fellow Team Europe star Alexander Zverev carrying momentum from his breakthrough Roland-Garros triumph. Recent form suggests another career milestone could be within reach. His best Wimbledon result remains a fourth-round appearance in 2024, when his run ended against Team World rival Taylor Fritz.

Worldly grass-court credentials

If recent results are any indication, Team World may possess the deepest collection of grass-court performers heading into Wimbledon. Fritz has developed into one of the surface’s most consistent threats. Five of his nine ATP titles have come on grass, including four at Eastbourne and one at Stuttgart in 2025. His best Wimbledon result came in 2025 when he reached the semifinals, having also made the quarterfinals in 2022 and 2024. After taking time away from competition to allow his knee to heal, the American appears to be rediscovering his best tennis at the right moment.

The player who stopped Fritz from lifting another Stuttgart trophy last week was teammate Ben Shelton. It marked his first title on grass, and his third of the season. The victory also made him just the fourth man this decade to win ATP titles on clay, grass and hard courts, joining Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and fellow Team World representative Alexander Bublik. With his explosive serve and increasingly complete all-court game, the world No.5 enters Wimbledon among the leading contenders, having reached the quarterfinals there in 2025.

Alex de Minaur has likewise become one of the tour’s most reliable performers on grass. Titles at Eastbourne in 2021 and ‘s-Hertogenbosch in 2024 have been complemented by increasingly deep Wimbledon runs. The Australian reached the quarterfinals in 2024 and the fourth round in 2025, while his runner-up finish in ‘s-Hertogenbosch last week suggests he is finding his ‘grass-court legs’.

Bublik, Team World’s newest 2026 squad member, may be one of the most naturally suited players on the surface. His best result Wimbledon run came in 2023, where he played a memorable five-set thriller in the fourth round against Andrey Rublev. Bublik’s aggressive style, powerful serve and willingness to attack the net have delivered titles at Halle in 2023 and 2025, as well as runner-up finishes in Newport and a semifinal finish in Stuttgart 2026.

Europe’s Rising stars

For Team Europe’s newest additions, the grass-court season presents another opportunity to build on rapidly rising careers. Flavio Cobolli’s rise into the Top 10 has been one of the stories of 2026. The Italian, runner-up to Zverev at Roland-Garros, only began competing professionally on grass in 2025 but adapted quickly, making a surprise run to the Wimbledon quarterfinals.

Jakub Mensik, a semifinalist at Roland-Garros, enjoyed his best result on grass at Eastbourne last year, reaching the quarterfinals before carrying that confidence into Wimbledon. There, he reached the third round before losing to Cobolli.

Grass-court greatness

While the current stars prepare for Wimbledon, the captains who will lead them at The O2 in London from September 25-27 bring contrasting grass-court histories.

Team Europe Captain Yannik Noah, the 1983 Roland Garros champion, won 23 singles titles during his career but grass proved his least productive surface, with third-round appearances representing his best Wimbledon results. Vice Captain Tim Henman never won a grass-court title despite growing up on the surface and becoming one of Wimbledon’s most beloved competitors. His four semifinal appearances at the Championships and remarkable 43-14 record there helped immortalize him in British tennis folklore, with the famous viewing mound beside Court 1 forever known as Henman Hill.

Team World Captain Andre Agassi captured Wimbledon in 1992, the lone grass-court title among his 60 ATP singles trophies. Vice Captain Patrick Rafter was extremely comfortable on the surface, winning four grass-court titles and reaching back-to-back Wimbledon finals in 2000 and 2001.

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