Russia’s tennis star Daniil Medvedev has highlighted the
reason why Laver Cup remains a special event. The two-team competition will be
played from September 20-22 in Berlin, Germany where some of the top players in
men’s tennis are going to participate to secure the ultimate prize.
World number five and one-time Grand Slam winner Medvedev is
set to feature for Team Europe this year. He will be a part of the star-studded
lineup which will also include the likes of four-time Grand Slam winner Spain’s
Carlos Alcaraz and current world number two Germany’s Alexander Zverev. They
will go up against Team World, which will consist of the likes of US Open 2024
runner-up Taylor Fritz, America’s Frances Tiafoe, Ben Shelton, Chile’s Alejandro
Tabilo, Australia’s Francisco Cerúndolo and Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Medvedev, while speaking to the official website of the
Laver Cup, highlighted why the competition remains a special one for the
players. The 28-year-old was also of the opinion that playing in a team
competition brings different kind of pressure for the players. He was also of
the opinion that Team Europe will start as a favourite because of the presence
of some of the big-name players in the world.
“That’s what makes
this event even more fun and more competitive, because it’s something that
doesn’t happen throughout the year,” he said. “It’s the only time throughout
the year where we support each other, go to dinners together, we spend time
together. Team events always [carry] more pressure. There are
other guys that are there to support you, which is good, but if you start
losing in the match, you’re looking at them and you’re like, ‘How do they look
at me? Am I really losing bad? Do I have to do something better?’ so it’s big
pressure and you try to handle it. Confidence doesn’t hurt either. Europe has a pretty strong lineup so I
would say Team World is an underdog."