Laver Cup and Alipay+, part of Ant International, a global digital payment, digitization and financial technology provider, today formally announced a new long-term partnership which will begin at Laver Cup San Francisco 2025.

The unified global wallet gateway Alipay+, along with WorldFirst and Antom – which are operated by Ant International – will become the Official Payment Partner of the Laver Cup through 2029. Ant Group’s flagship service Alipay, an all-in-one digital platform for daily services in China will also join Alipay+ in the partnership.

Ant International, with its associated brands Alipay+, WorldFirst and Antom, and Ant Group’s Alipay will play an important role in supporting the Laver Cup to drive fanbase growth and engagement in the Asia-Pacific region via its digital payment partners which serve over 1.7 billion consumers.

“We are delighted to formally announce the launch of this strategic relationship with Alipay+ and associated payment partners,” said Steve Zacks, Laver Cup CEO.

“This collaboration brings together two global entities committed to creating exceptional experiences and connecting fans worldwide through the synergy of sport and technology. We are looking forward to growing our fanbase in Asia while supporting Alipay+ with growth in their key markets.”

Ant International has collaborated on prestigious sporting partnerships around the world, including UEFA EURO 2024 in Germany, and with Tottenham Hotspur Football Club in the UK, leveraging its strengths to drive digital engagement and financial inclusion for local businesses.

Peng Yang, Ant International CEO said:

“As a financial technology provider committed to driving inclusive growth for businesses of all sizes with our innovative solutions, Ant International is deeply inspired by what the Laver Cup stands for: unrelenting pursuit of excellence among a community of the best and the bravest.”

“We look forward to supporting the Laver Cup with creative branding, marketing and fan engagement activities throughout our ecosystem of customers and partners across 200 markets, to further spread its vision and inspiration. We are joining hands to build a lasting legacy that will connect new generations of fans in every corner of the globe.”

The Laver Cup pits six of the best men’s tennis players from Europe against six of their counterparts from the rest of the World in a three-day tournament named in honor of Australian tennis legend Rod Laver, the only man to win two calendar-year Grand Slams.

Played on a dramatic black court, the competition alternates annually between Europe and ’rest of the world’ cities. The Laver Cup’s eighth edition will take place this coming weekend at the iconic Chase Center in San Francisco, from September 19-21.