"We care a lot" - Stefanos Tsitsipas stresses upon seriousness of Laver Cup after thumping win over Thanasi Kokkinakis
Stefanos Tsitsipas pushed back against calling the Laver Cup an exhibition event after his remarkable first win in the tournament's 2024 edition. The Greek is appearing at his fourth Laver Cup this year after Geneva 2019, Boston 2021, and London 2022.
Stefanos Tsitsipas faced Team World's Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second singles match of day 1 at the 2024 Laver Cup. The Greek was tasked with neutralizing Team World's 1-0 lead after Francisco Cerundolo defeated Casper Ruud in the opening match. And Tsitsipas did just that.
The 26-year-old looked invincible on the court and broke his Aussie opponent three times over two sets to register a comfortable 6-1, 6-4 win. In the process, he also avenged his first-round loss against Kokkinakis at the 2024 US Open. In his post-match press conference, Tsitsipas gave his thoughts on a range of topics pertaining to the Laver Cup and firmly pushed back against a journalist for dubbing the tournament an exhibition event.
The Greek stressed that players give a lot of importance to the Laver Cup and try to win every match possible for their team. He also noted that the legacy of the tournament makes it even more special for him.
"People often tell me that it's an exhibition and you guys don't care and et cetera, but I'm like, trust me, we care a lot. There is a lot at stake, and we really want to get everything for ourselves. Of course, being the player in that competition, it makes me understand every single year the Laver Cup gets held, I think the importance of it grows even more. It becomes more and more of a historical event the more the years pass," Stefanos Tsitsipas said.
"Most good-looking" - Stefanos Tsitsipas praises outgoing Team Europe captain Bjorn Borg at Laver Cup 2024
Since its inception in 2017, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe have led Team Europe and Team World, respectively. They will give up their captaincy next year, with American legend Andre Agassi taking over Team World and French star Yannick Noah becoming Team Europe captain.
Ahead of the 2024 Laver Cup, several players, including Stefanos Tsitsipas, lavished praise on Bjorn Borg for his exceptional leadership and wisdom. The two-time Grand Slam finalist called Bjorn and his vice-captain Thomas Enqvist the "most good-looking captains" and counted himself lucky to be in the same team as them.
"Well, I'll tell you this thing: I honestly feel privileged to be led by the most good-looking captains that I could have ever asked for (smiling). I'm going to definitely miss them. Bjorn and Thomas, both of them are the golden gem of the team, holding us together, making sure everything is operated and run smoothly," Tsitsipas said.
Bjorn Borg led Team Europe to four consecutive Laver Cup titles - Prague 2017, Chicago 2018, Geneva 2019, and Boston 2021. Team World finally broke the streak and won its first Laver Cup in London 2022 and successfully defended the title at Vancouver 2023.