"There's a lot of trash talk between the two teams" - Ben Shelton on the tense atmosphere ahead of the 2024 Laver Cup
ATP
With the 2024 Laver Cup set to kick off this weekend, Team World member Ben Shelton has admitted to there being friendly banter between Team World and Team Europe ahead of the international event.
Set to run from September 20-22, 2024 in Berlin, Germany, this year's edition of the Laver Cup will see Team World attempt to make it a hat-trick of titles after having won in 2022 and 2023. However, Team Europe will feature some heavy firepower, with the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev hoping to end Team World's recent dominance at the event.
There has been some tension between both teams, says Shelton
Making his debut for Team World at last year's event, Shelton gave some insight into the atmosphere prior to the tournament. With Team World securing a 13-2 win last year, the American revealed his teammates were feeling pretty confident about repeating, which has led to some friendly back-and-forth between both teams.
"We really want to win,” said Shelton. “We beat them last year and now they’re bringing out the big guns in Berlin, so we’re looking forward to the challenge. We’re a pretty confident group and we’re looking forward to it.
“It’s a tennis atmosphere that you don’t get in a normal tournament. There’s a lot of trash talk between the two teams, and that adds to the tension.
"There [were] a couple of moments throughout the tournament in Vancouver last year where one of our guys, whether it was me or Taylor, played a crazy point, came up with the crazy shot and all of us [were] just standing up, going nuts. I think that’s the Laver Cup energy for the guys who are sitting on the sidelines, and those were the moments that kind of made Laver Cup for me."
“It’s a tennis atmosphere that you don’t get in a normal tournament. There’s a lot of trash talk between the two teams, and that adds to the tension.
"There [were] a couple of moments throughout the tournament in Vancouver last year where one of our guys, whether it was me or Taylor, played a crazy point, came up with the crazy shot and all of us [were] just standing up, going nuts. I think that’s the Laver Cup energy for the guys who are sitting on the sidelines, and those were the moments that kind of made Laver Cup for me."
Team World will feature the likes Shelton along with compatriots Taylor Fritz and Francis Tiafoe, in addition to Argentine Francisco Cerundolo and Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis.
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