Team Europe managed to break the curse, beating Team World and returning to win the Laver Cup. The team captained by John McEnroe came close to the result but had to surrender only in the last challenge, where Carlos Alcaraz prevailed over Taylor Fritz.
The former American legend, now in his last term as Team World captain, spoke at a press conference together with the entire team, explaining how his team was already ready to celebrate.
“It was definitely an amazing weekend, we fought as hard as we could, we could almost taste it, but unfortunately it didn’t happen. But we put ourselves in a very close position to get it. The atmosphere was great every day, the energy of the team was great, all the guys played well. It’s a shame to lose, I admit,” said McEnroe about a victory he was perhaps already savouring: “I was ready to celebrate the hat-trick. I was in a different mood, maybe a little bit inebriated, we even had champagne waiting for us in the room.”
Roger Federer gifted John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg with custom Rolexes for their last year as Laver Cup captains.
The ultimate Federer gift.
Always classy. ⏱️
(via @GQSports) pic.twitter.com/5ABwUgA7db
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 22, 2024
The American legend then analysed how seven years at the helm of the Team are not easily forgotten.
“I really enjoyed being captain, I’ve always loved being part of the team, since I was a kid, even in other sports. I love the Davis Cup, so these team events are very special to me, I always try to bring out my love for this meeting that we do every year. For me it’s a lot of fun to meet the guys and spend time with them, here in Berlin I take away another memorable week,” he explained.
John McEnroe is comedy. One of the funniest post match press conferences of all time 😭 pic.twitter.com/vqxXSxwqwp
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 22, 2024
Also Taylor Fritz talked at the press conference, explaining the difficulties he encountered in the decisive match with Alcaraz, then making a parallel with the final he lost against Jannik Sinner at the US Open.
“I had some tension in my left shoulder. I noticed it from day one, especially when I hit my backhand. I thought I would feel better today, but it wasn’t like that. After the first two sets I realized I was still in pain. I had to take painkillers. It’s difficult to compare the matches with Sinner and Alcaraz. Here the conditions were much slower than in New York. In both matches I suffered from not having time to get into the rally. With Carlos in particular I didn’t feel comfortable. I was in a lot of hurry, I was moving around the court, I feel like I had less room to breathe with him, but both players are phenomenal,” he explained.