London, Sep 17 (IANS) Brandon Nakashima has been handed his first Laver Cup opportunity after being drafted into Team World for the 2026 edition, replacing fellow American Ben Shelton in the six-man line-up for the September 25-27 event at The O2 in London.
The change comes shortly after Shelton’s breakthrough run at the US Open, where the American reached his first Grand Slam final. Nakashima, meanwhile, arrives in London amid a career-best stretch that has taken him to No. 16 in the ATP Rankings.
The 25-year-old American produced a 13-4 record during the recent North American hard-court swing, with his standout result coming in Montreal, where he reached his maiden ATP Masters 1000 final.
Nakashima will join Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz, Alexander Bublik, Learner Tien and Francisco Cerundolo in Team World, which will attempt to retain the trophy after winning last year’s competition in San Francisco.
For Nakashima, the call-up represents the fulfilment of a long-standing ambition.
“I’m really excited to be making my Laver Cup debut in London. It’s an event I’ve always dreamed of playing, and I can’t wait to be part of Team World, competing alongside the guys and playing for Andre and Pat. Looking forward to getting to The O2 and doing everything I can to help the team,” Nakashima said, as quoted by ATP.
The American side will be led by captain Andre Agassi, with Patrick Rafter serving as vice captain. Both Agassi and Rafter are members of the ATP No. 1 Club.
Team World will face a European line-up featuring Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Flavio Cobolli, Rafael Jodar, Jakub Mensik and Casper Ruud. Yannick Noah will captain Team Europe, with Tim Henman as vice captain.
The tournament returns to London this year, with The O2 hosting the Laver Cup for the second time, having staged the event in 2022.
The three-day competition will once again bring together leading players from Europe and the rest of the world, with Nakashima now set to make his first appearance on the Laver Cup stage as Team World look to defend their title on European soil.
–IANS
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