Ben Shelton makes Laver Cup ‘trash talk’ admission ahead of title defence
Ben Shelton has revealed there is “a lot of trash talk” between Team World and Team Europe at the Laver Cup, ahead of this year’s event in Berlin.
US star Shelton made his debut for Team World in Vancouver a year ago, helping his side seal an emphatic 13-2 victory over their European rivals.
The 21-year-old was unbeaten at the event, winning his singles rubber and both doubles rubbers, though things look set to be tougher for Team World this year.
Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, and Daniil Medvedev will all be in action for Team Europe, who hope to regain the title after losses in 2022 and 2023.
Speaking to the tournament website, Shelton revealed he and his Team World teammates were feeling “pretty confident” – and that the atmosphere was different to that of a “normal tournament”.
“We really want to win,” said the American.
“We beat them last year and now they’re bringing out the big guns in Berlin, so we’re looking forward to the challenge. We’re a pretty confident group and we’re looking forward to it.
“It’s a tennis atmosphere that you don’t get in a normal tournament. There’s a lot of trash talk between the two teams, and that adds to the tension.
“There [were] a couple of moments throughout the tournament in Vancouver last year where one of our guys, whether it was me or Taylor, played a crazy point, came up with the crazy shot and all of us [were] just standing up, going nuts.
“I think that’s the Laver Cup energy for the guys who are sitting on the sidelines, and those were the moments that kind of made Laver Cup for me.”
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Having lost the first four editions of the competition, Team World will look to secure a ‘threepeat’ in Berlin after their recent triumphs in London and Vancouver.
This will be the last year that John McEnroe captains the squad, with Andre Agassi set to replace him next year.
And Shelton paid a glowing tribute to McEnroe ahead of the seven-time Grand Slam champion’s final captaincy appearance.
“It was special for me being a part of it for the first time the last year, getting the nod from John McEnroe,” said the world No 17.
“It’s not every day that you get a Captain who’s as invested, if not more invested than you. His will to win and really wanting to beat up on the European guys was something that I thought was really cool, and I already had a huge amount of respect for Johnny Mac and I gained even more last year.
“To be able to spend a little bit of time with him for the first time, [learn] how cool, down to earth he is, it was amazing.
“And yeah, hopefully we can make this last year for him really special.”
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