Team World Brought All The Right Stuff Together To Win Their First Laver Cup Title

Team World lifts the Laver Cup in London

Team World entered the final day of Laver Cup 2022 in London trailing four-time champion Team Europe 8-4 and needing to win three of four matches. While it wasn’t an impossible task, it would take everyone on John McEnroe’s Team World squad coming together and playing inspired and focused tennis on Sunday.

With each win worth three points, match by match, Team World turned this year’s Laver Cup upside down and won three straight matches – all with exciting outcomes – to win the Laver Cup title for the first time.

It was quite a weekend to remember in London, which drew more than 96,000 tennis enthusiasts to the O2 Arena, first to bid farewell to Roger Federer, then to see Novak Djokovic’s return to the ATP Tour after winning his seventh Wimbledon title, and, finally, to see Team World’s remarkable final-day comeback, in which Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime and Frances Tiafoe of the United States shouldered the load and carried the team on their shoulders to triumph.

Auger-Aliassime gave Team World the lead on the final day thanks to a pair of wins, first by partnering with Jack Sock to edge Matteo Berrettini and Andy Murray, 2-6, 6-3, 10-8, then by defeating Djokovic, 6-3, 7-6 (3). Next, Tiafoe, fought off four match points during a second-set tie-break to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas, 1-6, 7-6 (11), 10-8, which clinched the 13-8 victory for Team World. 

When one considers what transpired, it’s pretty wild that a team with zero Grand Slam singles titles beat a team with 66 that featured Federer (20), Rafael Nadal (22), Djokovic (21) and Andy Murray (3). But that’s exactly what happened. 

In praising his team during the trophy ceremony, Team World captain McEnroe said: “They brought the energy, belief and intensity.”

Later, McEnroe admitted: “It beats losing, that’s for sure. The difference was that we kept battling. There was a great team spirit. We knew we had a shot at it, but it was an uphill battle.”

While McEnroe likely would have been second-guessed for playing Auger-Aliassime back-to-back in Sunday’s first two matches – especially if the young, 21-year-old Canadian faltered against the veteran Djokovic, 35 – in hindsight it was a brilliant and tactical decision.

“This is something that’s discussed among all of us,” he said. “These guys know the ins and outs of what’s going to work best. Felix was ready for it, he had debuted last year, and now he was ready to step up to the big time.”

Auger-Aliassime said he enjoys the challenge that comes from playing in team events, “feeling I can bring something not only to myself but to the team. I feel like it pushes me also to stay positive, to dig deep, that feeling that I’m not only playing for myself, I’m trying to bring something to the team, bring a point to the team.”

Tiafoe added: “All week leading up I kept saying this was our year. The guys showed up. Felix beat Novak, Jack and Felix also played unbelievable doubles. We did it all together, it wasn’t just me.”

Coming off a semifinal run at the US Open, which boosted his ranking to a career-best World No. 19, Tiafoe has been playing some of the best tennis of his career. He said he would rank his Laver Cup-clinching victory over Tsitsipas among his best.

“To do it here in Laver Cup, to win for the first time, given how bad Mac wanted it, how bad everybody else wanted it, seeing what Felix and Jack did – I thought it was just time. It was time to get it done,” Tiafoe said during his team’s final press conference. 

Looking back, as New York Times tennis correspondent Christopher Clarey suggested in a tweet Sunday evening, “[the] Laver Cup has proven that it is value added for tennis.

“Its future is up to the players. If the best ones commit to it consistently and continue to care about the outcome it will thrive.”

A postscript

Roger Federer said this year’s Laver Cup competition would remain special to him – especially the sendoff he received Friday evening after playing in the final match of his pro career.

“Being on court on Friday and having such a huge moment in my career, being surrounded by my biggest rivals like Novak and Andy and Rafa was truly unique, and I can never thank them enough for being there and staying there and going through it with me,” he said.

“I hope that their farewell will also be unique and special, that it works for them, because it was beautiful for me.”

Cover photo: Courtesy Getty Images for Laver Cup.

Oh, Canada! These kids are all right

They’re just three Canadian teens with the now-familiar names: Bianca Andreescu, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov. After an incredible run of success in March, in which each made plenty of headlines both back home throughout the provinces of Canada as well as across the globe. I’m happy to report: These kids are all right.

It’s a great time to be a Canadian tennis fan, isn’t it?

For starters, Andreescu, 18, who began the year ranked 152nd in the world and entered March at No. 71 after reaching the final in Auckland and semifinals in Acapulco, shot up to No. 23 by winning her first WTA Premier Mandatory title at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif.

Meanwhile, Auger-Aliassime, also 18, won eight straight matches in Miami – including two just to qualify for the main draw – and improved his win-loss record to 19-9 in all competitions. He reached the semifinals in Miami after beating Nikolaz Basilashvili and Borna Coric, in the round of 16 and quarterfinals, respectively. Auger-Aliassime has enjoyed a stellar few weeks on the U.S. hard courts that began with a run to the third round at Indian Wells after beating fellow Next Gen ATP star Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets.

Finally, Shapovalov, 19, who had his coming out on the pro tour two summers ago when he beat then-World No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the Rogers Cup, broke into the Top 20 by reaching the round of 16 at Indian Wells. Then, he followed it with a memorable performance in Miami, where he strung together four impressive wins before falling to his idol, Roger Federer, 6-2, 6-4, in the semifinal round.

Together, Andreescu, Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov played a total of 30 matches during March in Indian Wells and Miami Their combined win-loss record of 25-5 was nothing short of fabulous. Characteristic of their wins, each was able to control the outcome of their matches by over-powering their opposition. When they lost, they went down with a fight.

Each of these prodigies wowed the tennis world – and the tennis media that cover them – by striking the right balance with their youthful exuberance and enthusiasm coupled with their obvious talent between the lines. Suddenly, thoughts of Grand Slam success started to murmur through stadium crowds and in broadcast booths – and on social media – during both Indian Wells and Miami.

“There has been all kinds of talk about the talent of this trio of young Canadians but one basic fact remains,” wrote Tom Tebbutt in an article for TennisCanada.com.

“They hit harder and bigger than their opponents.”

The BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells provided such a memorable stage for Andreescu, born in Mississauga, Ontario, to experience overnight stardom. She won by showing a gritty variety in her game, thanks to her arsenal of backhand slices and well-disguised drop shots. Plus, she displayed a strength of hitting from the baseline that goes beyond her years.

Along the way to winning the first leg of the “Sunshine Double,” Andreescu beat four Top-20 players – Wang Qiang, Garbiñe Muguruza, Elina Svitolina, and in a dramatic final, Angelique Kerber, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. With hopes of another deep run in Miami, she began with wins over Irina-Camelia Begu and Sofia Kenin, then garnered a big victory in her re-match against Kerber, prevailing 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 Finally, into the round of 16, Andreescu’s painful right shoulder could withstand no more and the pain forced her to retire early on against Anett Kontaveit. Her spirit might have been broken, but she didn’t break out collective hearts.

Auger-Aliassime, who began the year ranked 109th, generated the same kind of excitement as Andreescu. As if expected, he became the youngest to reach the Miami Open semifinals in the tournaments 35-year history. Then, in the biggest match of his young career, age finally caught up with the promising Auger-Aliassime as the upstart qualifier was unable to close out either set of his 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4) semifinal loss against John Isner, one of the game’s best servers. “For sure, nerves,” said Auger-Aliassime, a native of Montréal, who has improved his ranking to No. 33. “It was like I caught a virus of something.” After he lost, disappointed but not dejected, Auger-Aliassime gathered himself alone on the practice courts to work on his serve that had failed him against Isner.

As for Shapovalov, from Richmond Hill, Ontario, he celebrated a recent victory by breaking out an original rap verse in the middle of an on-court interview that immediately went viral on social media. The lanky lefty with the one-fisted backhand and backward ball cap also displayed some pretty fine tennis in stringing together six wins during an eight-match run. Shapovalov showed his superiority in beating a pair of his Next Gen ATP contemporaries, Tsitsipas and Frances Tiafoe, in back-to-back matches. Finally, his luck ran out against a vintage Federer, as the Swiss maestro won 91 percent of his first-serve points and his serve was only in danger two times. Although neither he nor Auger-Aliassime were able to make the next leap in a Masters 1000 tournament and reach the final plateau, each now knows what it takes to get there. There will be better days ahead for these kids.

The reception each has received following the “Swing through Spring” in Indian Wells and Miami has been welcoming. There have been lots of smiles and happy faces. Both in Toronto and in Montréal, it’s been game recognizes game. Andreescu was feted at a recent FC Toronto football match after returning home, in which she presented the game ball, and last week, she threw out the ceremonial first pitch as a Toronto Blue Jays baseball game, adorned in a bright blue Blue Jays jersey. Plus, she held a big Q & A with her fans on Twitter, where she has more than 340,000 followers. She said, “What really motivates me is the love of the game. I enjoy playing. Having the opportunity the inspire others and travel around the world is also a big part of why I enjoy it so much.”

Last Tuesday, Auger-Aliassime received a tremendous ovation while attending a Montréal Canadians ice hockey match in his home town. For now, each is relaxing away from competition – as a recent Instagram photo showing Auger-Aliassime enjoy a quiet home at home playing Yiruma’s “River Flows In You” on the piano shows.

Looking back, Shapovalov recently tweeted how it was “so great” to see biodegradable string bags being used at the Miami Open. “I used 42 bags just this week alone. Think about how much plastic we are wasting yearly. We need to see more of this on tour and try to be more #EcoFriendly.”

Not long from now, new challenges will await each, beginning on European clay next week, and later on, there’s the grass-court season culminating at Wimbledon. A lot can happen between now and the time each returns home this summer for the North American hard-court season and receives a hero’s welcome at the Rogers Cup (men in Montréal and women in Toronto). One thing’s certain about Andreescu, Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov: They are young talent ready to shine on big stages. Each in their own way has made watching tennis fun again.

Photos: Courtesy of Google Images.

(A version of this essay first appeared in Tennis TourTalk, www.Tennis-TourTalk.com.)