The Laver Cup tipped off Friday in San Francisco with Team Europe taking the court for four matches against Team World. This year’s competition is the third straight without any of the Big Three of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, but the three-day event will surpass its previous record revenue set in 2022, according to Laver Cup CEO Steve Zacks.
The 2025 event is being held at the $1.4 billion Chase Center, home of the Golden State Warriors, who annually lead the NBA in ticket revenue and sponsorships by a wide margin.
Laver Cup ticket sales and sponsorships shoul both top $20 million this year, according to event organizers. All three days of tickets are sold out at the Chase Center, including five premium hospitality experiences. The Rocket Club, coined from nickname of event namesake Rod Laver, is the top package at $30,000. The Vantage Club runs as high as $20,000, while the Legends Club is $6,000 to $8,500.
“Ticket demand exceeded our wildest expectations,” Tony Godsick, Team8 CEO and Laver Cup chairman, said in a May interview.
The event has two dozen sponsors, led by founding partner Rolex, which extended its deal in 2025 for another five years. Global sponsors Mercedes-Benz and UBS also renewed, and the Laver Cup added Alipay+ as a top-tier partner. This is the first year the event has more sponsors unaffiliated with Federer, who co-founded the event, than those that sponsor the 20-time Grand Slam champion. However longtime Federer sponsor Rolex remains the only brand at the founding partner level.
The 2025 Laver Cup features four top-10 players, led by No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz. A trio of American stars pulled out of the event this month; Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul were injured at the U.S. Open, and Frances Tiafoe also backed out.
The Laver Cup is a joint initiative between Team8, Tennis Australia, the USTA and Brazilian billionaire Jorge Paulo Lemann. In 2016, the USTA committed $6 million for a 20% non-controlling interest in Trident8, the parent company of the Laver Cup.
The first Laver Cup was held in 2017 in Prague, and the format is comparable to golf’s Ryder Cup. In 2019, it became an official event on the ATP Tour calendar, with results counted towards player records. Last year, the ATP and Laver Cup announced a five-year extension to their existing certification agreement.
The 2022 Laver Cup at London’s O2 arena was the last time any of the Big Three played, and it marked an emotional goodbye to Federer in his final ATP event. It was also the previous high-water mark for the event’s finances. Total revenue hit £28.4 million ($38.4 million based on current exchange rates)—they were $33.3 million the prior year in Boston.
Ticket sales were the biggest revenue stream in London at $23.3 million, followed by $9.9 million for sponsorships. Media rights and merchandise were the remaining 13%.
The 2023 event was in Vancouver, Canada, and revenue matched the 2021 event. It dipped 6% last year in Berlin to $31.4 million. Ticket sales were flat, but sponsorship revenue fell 19% to $10.3 million.
The event turned a slight profit last year, following a $1.7 million net loss in 2023. It made a combined profit of $11.4 million the two previous years.
“With a greater understanding of the key criteria for a successful event to guide future site selection, management will be able to better drive revenue growth and control cost, and reduce variability,” Trident8 management wrote in their 2024 financial filings.
The Laver Cup should build on the 2025 financial success with another strong event in 2026 when it returns to the O2 arena in London. The O2 was the busiest entertainment venue in the world last year, with 202 shows and 2.6 million attendees, according to Billboard.
“From a commercial and hospitality standpoint, London is one of the great cities of the world,” Godsick said. “We need big arenas, and there are not that many of those around Europe.”
Robb Report, which is owned by the same parent company as Sportico, is an event sponsor of the Laver Cup.
