John McEnroe has confessed that Team World needs to “take advantage” of winning the Laver Cup before players like Carlos Alcaraz are enticed into joining Team Europe. McEnroe’s team are going into the final day of the 2022 edition with a 10-2 point lead and need to win just one more match to retain the trophy. But the World captain knows that it will be a different story if and when more top players compete for the rival team.
The Team World squad have found themselves in a new situation at the sixth edition of the Laver Cup, taking place this weekend in Vancouver. They won all four matches on the opening day for the first time in tournament history to take a 4-0 lead. And going into the final day they have dropped just one match, leading by 10 points to two.
McEnroe knows that this is new territory for his team, as he has been the World captain since the inaugural Laver Cup back in 2017. And the seven-time Grand Slam champion admitted that things could be different in the future if someone like Carlos Alcaraz plays for Europe, with the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic previously representing the rival team.
“This week is the first time we have ever been in the lead, so this is sort of a new feeling for us,” the American said on day two of the tournament, where World’s only defeat came when Casper Ruud beat Tommy Paul. “So that’s good. But, you know, hey, we’ve got to take advantage of this now, and so I think these guys are getting it, because I think in a couple of years, I mean, obviously next year it’s going to be a different story.”
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With the tournament alternating between venues in Europe and venues in the rest of the world each year, McEnroe was well aware that the rivals would be on home soil in 2024. And more importantly, he knew that Team Europe could call on plenty of champions.
He continued: “We’ll be back in Europe. A couple of guys, you know, Carlos, if he plays, it will be obviously a different story right off the bat. So we’ve got to take advantage of this opportunity and get some momentum.”
Team World has already been able to jump on the absence of two top five players in Team Europe this year, as Holger Rune and Stefanos Tsitsipas both withdrew from the tournament at the 11th hour due to injuries. After McEnroe’s squad won the Laver Cup for the first time in 2022, they look set to do it again this year.
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“I think once we got over the hump, obviously if you haven’t done it and then you do do it, you have more belief that you can,” he added. “You know, we came here and we sort of looked at what happened, a couple guys pulled out and we’re, like, Wait a minute, not only could we but we should in our minds do it and come out.
“The good news is these guys have stepped up, every one of them, actually. There is not a single guy out of the six that hasn’t picked up a point for us.” Team Europe are still in contention on day three but must win all four matches to lift the title. If Team World wins just one match on Sunday, they will keep hold of the trophy.
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