"It deserves more respect" says John McEnroe on Laver Cup

John McEnroe is disappointed in the ATP for not making the Laver Cup a standalone event calling for it to receive more respect.

John McEnroe has been involved in the Laver Cup since its inception some 5 years ago having served as Team World Captain from the start. McEnroe was very open after yesterday's defeat of Team World saying that he was disappointed in the result having wanted to win it badly. He also called for more respect for the event saying:

“This is my personal opinion, but I don’t think there should be any tournaments going on if they want to try to get to the level of a Ryder Cup, say. It’s got to stand on its own. It’s not going to be like, ‘Well, other players need to be able to play and … get their points in Kazakhstan or wherever they are right now.’ I just don’t agree with that. I think it’s a mistake by the ATP.”

It's a very interesting opinion by McEnroe that is probably shared by other people invested in the Laver Cup such as Roger Federer who famous loves the Laver Cup idea and format. McEnroe further said:

“Yet it’s difficult to sort of get, sort of, the respect that I think this deserves. It tears me up.”

Whether that changes in the future remains to be seen but so far nobody from the ATP has commented on the matter or the possibility of making it a standalone event.