'No one beats Team World five times in a row' - John McEnroe overjoyed with Laver Cup success
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ByEurosport
Updated 25/09/2022 at 21:56 GMT
Team World captain John McEnroe finally got his hands on the Laver Cup on Sunday night after Frances Tiafoe defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas. It was a remarkable day at The O2 as Felix Auger-Aliassime teamed up with Jack Sock to beat Andy Murray and Matteo Berrettini and then beat Novak Djokovic to turn a 4-8 deficit into a 10-8 advantage. For McEnroe, it was sheer relief and utter joy.
Highlights: Tiafoe roars back to beat Tsitsipas and clinch Laver Cup triumph for Team World
After four successive defeats, Team World finally got their hands on the Laver Cup, and no one will be happier than team captain John McEnroe.
Frances Tiafoe completed an unforgettable night for Team World by beating Stefanos Tsitsipas 1-6 7-6(11) 10-8 after Felix Auger-Aliassime teamed up with Jack Sock to beat Andy Murray and Matteo Berrettini and then beat Novak Djokovic to turn a 4-8 deficit into a 10-8 advantage.
It was a sensational finish to an amazing weekend as Tiafoe prevailed in a tense tie-breaker that lasted over 20 minutes and then overcame the Greek in a breath-taking Laver breaker.
For McEnroe, it was sheer relief and utter joy as he finally got one over Team Europe.
“I’d say that amazing would be an understatement right now, it’s been a long time and we’ve been beat up a few times but we’ve been so close we could taste it,” McEnroe said.
“You know I didn’t really need to fire them up a whole lot as you pointed out we lost the first four so we were sick of, you know...my brother said it aptly, no one beats Team World five years in a row.
“And so we were gonna come battling, Jack [Sock] is an incredible doubles player, Felix [Auger-Aliassime] stepped up big time,.
“I mean, you know we were saying ‘okay, look we’ve gotta win three out of the four’ so we tried to set it up, we can do it, we’ve got guys that have a lot of confidence. Novak [Djokovic] was like out of this world last night, it was unbelievable how well he was playing. So look, we get one out of two there, two out of two is an unbelievable bonus. So here we are.
“Frances [Tiafoe] is prime time, he loves this stuff, we saw that at the US Open. Stefanos [Tsitsipas] came out guns blazing, was playing incredible and he had to step up and he did.
“This is a great young group of guys we’ve got here, we kept battling, it looked like we were in trouble."
“This is an incredible team event, I cherish it,” he continued.
“I got one more year to go and it’s going to be incredible. I’m loving every second right now everybody.”
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'Getting a soaking' - Team World celebrate with champagne after Laver Cup win
Speaking to Tim Henman following the triumph, Tiafoe revealed that McEnroe was desperate not to lose on this occasion.
“Unbelievable feeling,” he said.
“Our captain Johnny Mac [John McEnroe] was tired of losing.
“He kept dropping f-bombs saying we needed to get it done this year. It’s the fifth try. I kept saying all week leading up that this was going to be our year. And yeah, the guys showed up. Felix beating Novak today, Jack and Felix also played unbelievable doubles today.
“We all did it together. I showed a lot of heart to get this done. I was getting my a** kicked there for a while, I just kept going. So, we’re going to celebrate big tonight."
Having prevailed in two amazing tie-breaks, Tiafoe was asked how he manages to produce his best tennis under immense pressure, to which he responded: “I don’t know, it looks like I have a clutch game right now. In the last couple of tournaments I’ve been playing in packed stadiums - just competing really hard and just enjoying it. Getting the crowd on my side and just having fun with it.
“I feel like a kid out here, competing in and playing a game I love. But honestly, I’m just happy that I get to hold the Laver Cup trophy today, that’s the only thing that matters.”
Tiafoe made an amazing start to the weekend by beating the retiring Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal with his partner Sock. Paying tribute to Federer, the American said: “Tennis won that night. Playing him was unbelievable. He’s such an inspiration to this game. Unbelievable ambassador for 20-plus years. We’re all going to miss him.
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“He’s a stand-up guy. He’s an even better person than he is a tennis player. I love the guy to bits. Thanks for the opportunity for even letting me play this event. Thanks for creating these events and everything he does off the court.
“We’re going to miss him dearly. I’m not going to miss him beating everybody and myself for Grand Slams. Other than that, I’m going to miss his locker room presence.
“Hats off to his team, family, wife and everyone for an amazing career. Legends never die.”
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