Laver Cup Providing Growing Business Opportunities In Tennis

Carlos Alcaraz of Team Europe during a Laver Cup practice at Chase Center in San Francisco. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images for Laver Cup)

Getty Images for Laver Cup

When Laver Cup started in 2017, the initial six sponsors were all tied to one of the event’s founders, Roger Federer. Eight years later and the Laver Cup sponsorship list for its San Francisco edition has swelled to 22, a record.

“From a client entertainment standpoint, I think it’s unmatched, from a hospitality standpoint,” Tony Godsick, Laver Cup chairman, tells me. “It’s a premium event. We move around to some pretty iconic cities.”

From attracting some of the sport’s biggest names—three of the world’s top five players are playing on the black court of Laver Cup in Chase Center this year—to creating a fresh perspective of having those players compete over five sessions on three days, Godsick says they’ve built a “very unique” event. Add in the event’s tagline of rivals become teammates, allowing players who face each other each week to work together, and “the optics that you see get pushed out are really unique, it just doesn’t happen anywhere else.”

That’s all part of the plan. “I think the sponsors really enjoy the innovative format,” Godsick says. “We put so much energy into building what we hope people think is like a permanent event for a small period of time. Sponsors see it too, and they feel like we’re investing in the brand and the experience for their clients and the guests.”

Laver Cup is putting an emphasis on entertainment and building a modern way of expressing the players, pushing out video clips on social media telling the stories of the players as teammates, along with the daily action, to match with the changing way people are consuming sport. And it’s happening around the world thanks to the global nature of tennis.

“I think the sponsors who are joining us for this journey are not only requiring [the innovation] but enjoying it and helping us actually grow it too.”

Creating an event that draws the world’s top players helps too. “What we focus on is just giving everybody a great time that they want to do again,” says Steve Zacks, Laver Cup CEO. “So, whether it’s the sponsors, whether it’s the broadcasters, the players … they love doing it. It’s a great experience.”

“When we launched the Laver Cup, we had the extraordinary benefit of Roger Federer’s global popularity and deeply trusted brand relationships,” Godsick says. “Now, nearly a decade later, the Laver Cup has earned its own reputation. The world-class brands renewing and joining us today reflect the trust we’ve built and our continued commitment to delivering a bold, premium and global platform for sport and entertainment.”

The first Laver Cup partner, Rolex, renewed its status as founding partner. “The tournament has set a new benchmark for excellence in men’s tennis and aligns with our longstanding values of tradition, precision and innovation,” says Arnaud Boetsch, director of communication and image at Rolex.

With Rolex at the top of the list, legacy partners Mercedes-Benz and UBS each reaffirmed long-term commitments. They are joined by a mix of global brands, including Alipay+, Perplexity, Genesys, Flexjet, Boss and Daou Vineyards. Other brands involved include ServiceNow, Cleveland Clinic, Fico, On, Uniqlo, Wilson, Moet & Chandon, Icelandic Glacial, Steve Furgal and Oliver Peoples.

The way Laver Cup tells a story over a long weekend with events such as the iconic photo (this year with the Golden Gate Bridge as a backdrop), black carpet and opening night gala and team benches gives tennis a distinct perspective. “There’s a lot of different things that [the team is] doing that is maybe more modern than other people are doing,” Godsick says, “but I think that hopefully our sponsors feel that we’re really pushing the envelope a little bit and presenting the sport in a different way.”

The Laver Cup-specific approach to tennis sells. “We’ve created something extremely special,” Godsick says, “something we’re all really proud of and want to share with more fans around the world.”