Laver Cup lessons: Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe shine, will Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz strengthen Team Europe?
Published 25/09/2023 at 10:11 GMT
Team World won the 2023 Laver Cup in convincing fashion against Team Europe, but what did we learn from the three-day event in Vancouver? John McEnroe's Team World have now won the trophy for the last two years, and made sure of victory early on the final day. Will Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz strengthen Team Europe next year? How can Team World get better?
Laver Cup highlights - Shelton and Tiafoe clinch overall triumph for Team World
The sixth edition of the Laver Cup was won convincingly by Team World. It was the second victory in a row for John McEnroe’s side as they swept past Team Europe 13-2 in Vancouver.
Despite the one-sided scoreline it was another entertaining event with players from both sides putting on a show. But what did we learn from the Laver Cup?
Shelton: Entertainer and future Slam winner?
We already knew this, of course, but Ben Shelton’s performances at the Laver Cup simply reinforced that he is a very fun watch.
Not only does he have the game to entertain crowds, but he plays to entertain.
Given the chance to get Team World off to a winning start for the first time in Laver Cup history, Shelton did not disappoint, powering past Arthur Fils in straight sets.
“He’s sort of built for this type of environment,” said Team World vice-captain Patrick McEnroe afterwards.
“He feeds off the team. I think the team really feeds off him. He gives you a lot of energy when he’s out there.”
Shelton was also plenty animated on the sidelines and was involved in some amusing moments, including shouting ‘come on Johnny’ to Team World captain John McEnroe and explaining his trademark phone celebration to the former world No. 1.
Laver Cup highlights - Shelton and Tiafoe clinch overall triumph for Team World
His rise up the game has not gone unnoticed by tennis legend Rod Laver, who said about Shelton on social media: “Shelton is the new player on the tour. We're going to see him winning a Slam.”
Shelton seems to love being on the big stage, and the big stage certainly loves having him.
Will Team Europe get reinforcements?
There’s no getting away from the fact that this was not Team Europe’s strongest-ever line-up.
Not only were there were no ‘Big Four’ members present for only the second time in Laver Cup history, but the team was weakened by the late injury withdrawals of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Holger Rune.
With four debutants, it was always going to be a tough ask for the visitors.
Casper Ruud’s win was the only point they got on the board as chances of an upset quickly slipped away.
Federer 'would love' to see Alcaraz and Djokovic on same team at 2024 Laver Cup
Ruud said that Team Europe are “going to be eager” to win the Laver Cup next year in Berlin, but will home advantage alone turn the tables that much?
Team Europe captain Bjorn Borg will surely be hoping he can strengthen the team - and perhaps Roger Federer can help out.
Federer, who co-founded the Laver Cup, said that he "would love" to see Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz join forces on Team Europe. Maybe he can persuade both to sign up in 2024.
Tiafoe comes up trumps again
Having been 4-0 down after the first day, it looked like Team Europe might have a sniff of turning things around after Ruud secured their first points with victory over Tommy Paul.
The last singles match of the second day seemed as though it could be in Team Europe’s favour as Hubert Hurkacz had won his last three meetings against Frances Tiafoe, who was also out to avoid a fourth straight singles loss.
But Tiafoe delivered for Team World, saving a set point in the first set and then thrilling fans with a behind-the-back shot when the finish line was in sight.
Tiafoe wins outrageous point after audacious behind-back shot
It was a crucial win that prevented Team Europe from building any possible momentum, and it was no surprise that Tiafoe – another player who seems to relish this environment – produced the goods.
He also won both his doubles matches, including the decisive rubber for the second year in a row.
Team World looked well stocked
This one-sided result was like the early days of the Laver Cup, only in reverse.
Team World were beaten 15-9 and then 13-8 in the first two editions of the tournament as they struggled to match the quality put forward by Team Europe, who had five top-10 players in 2017 and four in 2018.
This was the first time that Team World looked stronger on paper, and they showed up impressively on the court.
“Everyone showed up and played about as good as they could possibly play,” said Taylor Fritz afterwards.
Watch as Federer plays table tennis behind the scenes at Laver Cup
The group seems to get along very well and if they can stick together then Team Europe will have a fight to regain the trophy in the coming years.
There’s also the chance that Denis Shapovalov gets added to the team, or perhaps Nick Kyrgios, who didn’t feature this year due to injury.
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