"If Carlos Alcaraz plays, it will be a different story" - John McEnroe on Team World taking advantage of suboptimal opposition to win Laver Cup 2023

John McEnroe was all praise for Team World after they won the 2023 Laver Cup by beating Team Europe. He also touched on the possibility of Carlos Alcaraz participating in the next edition of the tournament.

The Team World squad included Americans Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, Tommy Paul, and Christopher Eubanks (alternate); Canadians Felix Auger-Aliassime and Milos Raonic (alternate), and Argentine Francisco Cerundolo.

As has been the case since Laver Cup's inauguration in 2017, John McEnroe captained Team World while his brother Patrick took on the vice-captain duties.

Following their victory, McEnroe noted that while the players from his team have always had a great camaraderie, the initial editions did not yield the results due to strong opposition.

“Obviously in a competition it's about winning. I think we did have a good team spirit for years. It wasn't getting us a whole lot. We were close a couple times, but it's frustrating. You know, it's a little bit of that David versus Goliath,” he said in the post tournament press conference.

John McEnroe praised the Team World squad for taking advantage of the significant withdrawals of Europe’s Stefanos Tsitsipas and Holger Rune just days before the Laver Cup.

The final Europe squad included Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud, Hubert Hurkacz, Gael Monfils, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, and Arthur Fils.

“We came here and we sort of looked at what happened, a couple guys pulled out and we're, like, Wait a minute, not only could we but we should in our minds do it and come out,” he said.

McEnroe also acknowledged the support of the North American crowd in Vancouver, Canada. The seven-time Grand Slam champion pointed out that the 2024 Laver Cup could be a different story, with the event expected to take place in Europe, and the possibility of Carlos Alcaraz as the opposition.

“We've got to take advantage of this, and so I think these guys are getting it, because I think in a couple of years, I mean, obviously next year it's going to be a different story. We'll be back in Europe. A couple of guys, you know, Carlos Alcaraz, if he plays, it will be obviously a different story right off the bat. So we've got to take advantage of this opportunity and get some momentum,” John McEnroe added.

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"You have more belief" – John McEnroe on Team World's 2022 Laver Cup victory with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic as opposition

John McEnroe also revisited Team World’s maiden Laver Cup win last year, where they triumphed despite Team Europe having Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray in their squad.

“It was huge, just the whole experience, last year obviously with Roger retiring at Laver Cup and Rafa being there and Novak and Andy playing as well, I mean, it was an unbelievable atmosphere, and to win that, I mean, in the position we're in,” he said. “I think once we got over the hump, obviously if you haven't done it and then you do do it, you have more belief that you can.”

John McEnroe acknowledged the successful contribution of each member of the main squad this time around.

“This week is the first time we have ever been in the lead, so this is sort of a new feeling for us,” McEnroe said.

“The good news is these guys have stepped up, every one of them, actually. There is not a single guy out of the six that hasn't picked up a point for us,” he added.

Team World defeated Team Europe in emphatic fashion. They won all but one encounter throughout the three-day tournament.

While Tommy Paul was defeated by Casper Ruud in their singles encounter, the former contributed to the score by winning the Day 1 doubles fixture with Frances Tiafoe, going up against Andrey Rublev and Arthur Fils of Team Europe. The remaining members won in both doubles as well as singles.