Ben Shelton to John McEnroe at Laver Cup: “Dialed in. That’s what we call that. We’re dialed in Johnny Mac! Come on!” 📞
“That's the million-dollar question, in a way, knowing when to say something that you hope will make a positive difference”: John McEnroe's approach as Laver Cup captain
ATPSaturday, 23 September 2023 at 22:00
John
McEnroe reflected on his role as the Laver Cup captain and how he interacts
with the Team World players.
The first
day of the Laver Cup couldn't have been better for Team World and their
captain, John McEnroe. They won all four matches of the day, taking a 4-0 lead
over Team Europe and starting their title defense from 2022 in the best way
possible.
The chosen
players for the singles matches were Ben Shelton, Francisco Cerúndolo, and
Felix Auger-Aliassime, while in the doubles, the American duo of Frances Tiafoe
and Tommy Paul took the court. McEnroe praised his team and explained that
there were aspects in which he didn't want to get involved:
"Well,
almost every guy here has a coach with him or is speaking to a coach. So you
try to understand what makes a guy tick and talk to the people around him, as
well, like Fran, for example, get feedback from coach and people and what they
are thinking. That's important. I'm not going to walk in, couple days, and say,
This is what you're going to do," John McEnroe said.
"You
hopefully have the right feel for knowing when to say something, when it's
needed. I have been around the game a long time, but just look at the second
set. It was a pretty unpredictable set. Both guys were battling really hard. So
I think that's the question, really. That's the million-dollar question, in a way,
knowing when to say something that you hope will make a positive difference.
That's what I try to do," he added.}
The 7-times
Grand Slam champion also highlighted having newcomers on his team, such as Ben
Shelton, Tommy Paul, and the Argentine Cerundolo, all of them participating in
their first Laver Cup:
"We
never had a lead, so needless to say, this is a good feeling. So having been
able to come back and having had some close encounters, obviously know that the
first day is the first day, but we've got some young blood, some new blood, and
a good mix with what we have and some people that were there last year. I think
it's just a great team energy. It feels awesome so far," John McEnroe
said.
Just In
Popular News
Latest Comments
- You (Tennis Update) keep posting bits from Stubbs every time she has a brainfart... but you fail to tell us why we should care; or even why her opinion is relevant?
mandoist17-10-2024 - Jack Draper could also be in this conversation.Rapunzel16-10-2024
- Osaka writing a check she cannot cash. Same for Raducanu.mandoist16-10-2024
- 'Man-splaining' doesn't actually help in these situations. Professionals sometimes forget that it's most often advantageous to let the media and anti-Socia media have its way -- then let the subject fade given peoples' short-term memories. Bottom Line here: Iga made what she believed is a way forward for herself, and whatever led to this change is basically not anyone else's business.mandoist16-10-2024
- Just poor judgement by Zheng during one of the most intense moments of the 3-set battle. At least she used 'Words' -- not slamming balls into the crowd, demolishing racquets, or name-calling.mandoist14-10-2024
