Tennis ace Medvedev's insightful take on pressures and joys of Laver Cup

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."