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Cash, Kyrgios doubt Laver Cup

Two of Australia's best known tennis players have cast doubt on the Laver Cup, a new teams exhibition tournament proposed to begin next year.

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Source: AAP


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Former Wimbledon winner and Davis Cup champion Pat Cash says the newly proposed tennis teams event named after all-time great Rod Laver could struggle for credibility.

The exhibition tournament is to be played over a September weekend in non-Olympic years but Cash doubts whether the world's best players will sign up.

He also suggests the tournament that would be left off would be the Davis Cup.

"I like the concept but I don't know if players will take it seriously," Cash told BBC program Radio 5 live sports extra.

"The concept is a great idea, but it's after the US Open and the Davis Cup (semi-finals). It's stuck in the middle of a tournament.

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"With the Davis Cup struggling in some places in the world, I'm not sure we need another tournament to squeeze in."

Tennis Australia joined with Roger Federer's management company Team8 and former Davis Cup player and billionaire Jorge Paulo Lemann on Friday to launch the Laver Cup.

The event hopes to pit the best six European players against six players from the rest of the world.

Nick Kyrgios, who on the ATP rankings at the time of the announcement was the seventh-highest ranked non-European, agreed with Cash.

"Like the idea of this #LaverCup but agree with @TheRealPatCash how can we fit it in between @usopen & @DavisCup #Doubtful," he tweeted.

Federer told the New York Times the attraction of the event would be seeing ATP tour rivals teaming up.

"I've never played doubles with Rafa (Nadal), Novak (Djokovic) or Andy (Murray), so that could be a first," he said.

"Us supporting one another, high-fiving each other ... I think it could be very cool, so that's why you have to make it meaningful."


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