Laver Cup 2021: Team World is doing well at the US Open
The fourth edition of the Laver Cup begins in Boston in just under three weeks. Which team made the better impression at the US Open?
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Sep 06, 2021, 04:54 am
By Jens Huiber from New York City
John McEnroe is mainly employed as an expert at the TV station ESPN at the US Open these days, but now and then a short trailer is shown on the screens in which you can see McEnroe even more actively than on TV -Box. The clip gives a little foretaste of the Laver Cup, which will be held from September 24th to 26th in the TD Boston Garden. McEnroe's key message: Nobody beats Team World four times in a row. The results at the ongoing US Open give team boss McEnroe cause for hope.
Especially since among the Europeans, who have won the previous comparative fights in Prague, Chicago and Geneva, not everything seems to be okay in terms of sport as well as in the interpersonal area. Alexander Zverev , Daniil Medvedev and Matteo Berrettin i are still represented in the tableau, with the German number one as a veteran in Team Europe. Zverev has not yet missed a Laver Cup.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev and Casper Ruud, on the other hand, left more or less early. And the Greek in particular caused a bit of a frown among colleagues. Zverev has wisely no more poured oil into the fire about the extended toilet breaks from Tsitsipas, but the carefully chosen words must have become noticeably more sharp in the translation. Tsitsipas had to make a few gritty remarks in the direction of Zverev. And all observers of the ATP tour know that the relationship between him and Medvedev is not the best.
Two replacement candidates for John McEnroe
Team Welt had to complain about two first round failures with Nick Kyrgios and John Isner, Denis Shapovalov and Diego Schwartzman were also not fully convincing. Reilly Opelka has not yet been challenged properly, Félix Auger-Aliassime is also represented in the tableau. In terms of sport, almost as promising as the Europeans, but Opelka in particular could become a key player with the home crowd behind them.
Should John McEnroe lose a player at short notice, two substitutes would be available: Frances Tiafoe, who showed rising form with his success against Rublev and his defeat against Auger-Aliassime in the night session on Sunday. And, surprisingly, Jack Sock too. That would, especially in a duet with Nick Kyrgios, raise the mood barometer on the part of the world selection significantly.