"I'm gonna miss John McEnroe" - Bjorn Borg pays tribute to Laver Cup rival captain; thanks Carlos Alcaraz & Co. for winning the title in his last year
Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe signed off as captains of Team Europe and Team World after the Laver Cup 2024. Borg gave his rival captain a heartfelt tribute after Team Europe edged past Team World in Berlin.
Team Europe trailed Team World for most of the 2024 Laver Cup. The teams were tied at 2-2 after day 1, and World held an 8-4 advantage after day 2. Europe got to the task of recovering the deficit early on day 3, with Carlos Alcaraz and Casper beating Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton in the doubles tie and gaining three points. Shelton took World one step closer to victory after winning his singles match.
However, it was destined to be Team Europe's day as Alexander Zverev and Alcaraz picked up crucial wins in the last two matches. With these wins, Team Europe edged past Team World 13-11 on the points table and bagged its fifth Laver Cup. The victory for Europe was a fitting tribute to outgoing captain Bjorn Borg.
Borg and McEnroe have served as captains of Team Europe and Team World, respectively, since the inception of the Laver Cup in 2017. Prior to the 2024 tournament, they announced their intention to step down from their roles. During the trophy presentation ceremony, Borg paid a heartfelt tribute to McEnroe and reminisced about their rivalry over the last eight years.
“I’m gonna miss John a lot. Of course we’re gonna see each other... I remember when Roger called me and asked if I wanted to be captain for Team Europe. That was 8 years ago. I didn’t really know what to say. But I was happy to say yes. And he said John would be captain for Team World. John we’ve been having a good time. Even if you guys lost,” Borg said on court.
The 68-year-old also thanked Team Europe players for successfully staging a near-impossible comeback at the Laver Cup 2024 and giving him a perfect farewell.
"First of all I'm very proud of my team. What we did today. If you look at this morning, I though we were not going to have a really good chance but we came through. Thank you guys, we had a good week and thank you very much for what you did," he said.
Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe to be replaced by Andre Agassi and Yannick Noah as Laver Cup captains
Laver Cup will see a major change in 2025 with new captains at the helm of Team Europe and Team World as Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe will be vacating their positions. Before the latest win, Bjorn led Team Europe to four consecutive Laver Cup titles—Prague 2017, Chicago 2018, Geneva 2019, and Boston 2021.
McEnroe, on the other hand, guided Team World to two titles—London 2022 and Vancouver 2023. The legendary duo will be replaced by American legend Andre Agassi and French star Yannick Noah as Team World and Team Europe captains, respectively, at the 2025 Laver Cup in San Francisco.
Agassi and Noah made an appearance at this year's recently concluded edition, increasing the anticipation for their upcoming roles as captains in the following year.