LAVER CUP

September 22, 2021

John McEnroe

Press Conference

Q. Here we are at Fenway Park. There has always been a rivalry been the Red Sox and the Mets. Talk about the rivalry at Laver Cup between Team Europe and Team World.

JOHN McENROE: We're the Mets right now. (Laughter.) No, I grew up, my dad was a big Yankees fan. I grew up, and in my first 21 years I was a Yankees fan.

I know about it. Two incredibly storied franchises, I would say. I don't think I need to tell anyone about the history other than that when I switched allegiances, that's when apparently Boston all of a sudden turned this thing around big time.

I don't know if there was a connection between Steinbrenner saying something that upset me to the point where I switched from the Yankees to the Mets, but that's for another story.

Q. What about your own rivalry with Team Europe and that dynamic?

JOHN McENROE: The dynamic is an uphill battle, obviously. It's not quite like Yankees and Red Sox when they are both playing, but I think in this format it favors us. You know, it's a quicker format.

I think the guys that we have are guys that, at least some of the guys, the idea is to mix a bit of youth and experience, guys that can take the racquet out of your hand and hope that someone like, you know, Nick, for example, he rises to the occasion, because I think it appears to me that this is his favorite event.

Cautiously optimistic that we will be able to get that to happen with him and Opelka and Isner. And then you've got obviously the two young Canadians.

All six of their guys are ranked ahead of us. You know, our first guy is 11. They've got six guys in the top 10. It's obviously going to be difficult to pull this off.

Q. Is Nick in one sense the linchpin for you for this weekend?

JOHN McENROE: Oh, we certainly hope so. He's very passionate about it, but he's had a tough time since he's come back: injuries, just lack of matches, losing some close matches. You know, he's had some tough draws. But nonetheless, he hasn't done anything for a while.

Hopefully this is like the type of format, because this isn't best-of-five where, you know, he questions his conditioning or that gets in the middle of it. He should be able to, you know, step up.

But, you know, he's going to be playing guys in the top 10. It's not like, oh, okay he's just going to start playing and therefore he's going to beat everybody. That's easier said than done.

Q. I think not too long ago you said this could be a defining weekend for you as far as a captain is concerned, for your career as a captain.

JOHN McENROE: Well, you know, I have loved this. It's difficult to want to -- I feel like I'm a part of it in a way, but at the same time, I suppose if I was running it, I don't want to -- because I'm hopeful that I'm going to win this, but I would certainly think that at some point, if you keep losing, you know, they go to somebody else.

That brings it -- whether or not that was true or not or I'd won all three, I'd want to win anyway, but at the same time, we have been so close. It does feel like we have been so close that at least one or possibly two of those we could -- I don't want to say "should" have won, but we were in a position to win.

So that was very exciting. I was pumped up, and I will be pumped up. But ultimately, this is a different. It's been so crazy the last year and a half with the pandemic. I mean, this is the first time literally, and it hasn't happened with all the players yet because players are just getting here, we are all getting here yesterday, and everyone has the protocols, et cetera, this would be the first time that I have actually seen players up close in a year and a half, since Australia, I'd say.

It's difficult to sort of gauge where everyone is at, in a way. You sort of have to keep some type of distance. Like as a commentator, I was at Wimbledon but I didn't see any players. So it's a little bit trickier to be able to even ascertain exactly what our team lineup's going to be.

Q. What about the rivalry between the guys and the camaraderie within the two teams, and the seriousness and the specialness that the guys see about this Laver Cup?

JOHN McENROE: Well, I would certainly hope so. I mean, there is a lot of -- I mean, hopefully it's pride at stake. It's become at least a sanctioned event.

Personally I think it's a mistake to have any event this week. If you want to build it up and make it like a Ryder Cup, you shouldn't have some event in France or wherever they are, and I forgot where the other place is. I think that takes away, just looking at it visually, there is nothing going on with the Ryder Cup this weekend, a bunch of golf tournaments they are playing, as far as I know.

Q. Just keep it as the focus?

JOHN McENROE: I think it should be the focus. And then everyone -- not like you have to pick people three months ahead of time. I mean, I think there should be more flexibility.

But I know players have to make schedules, and I have been there. It's walking that fine line to make sure.

But as far as the camaraderie, that's sort of what I was hoping for. I believe that comes out, but that's -- I'm the type of guy, that's why I play doubles, that's why I love Davis Cup, I would have loved an event like this to be part of it playing it.

You know, to be coaching, at least I'm sort of close around it. It's not like I can make all these decisions, tell a guy how he should play all of a sudden.

I can make a suggestion. I watch, I try to make a suggestion. I watch these guys. But I'm not up close and in their heads. That's another part that's tricky.

I want this to really be a team thing. They should be involved. There is a lot of upside, not only winning but the money. So to me, I think everyone should be a part of the process, the decision-making process.

Q. You're new on Twitter. What do you want to be saying on Twitter when the Laver Cup is done for 2021?

JOHN McENROE: I might go on Twitter, actually. Right now we had this fun doing this Mockumentary. They are, like, you're going to put me on Twitter. I'm, like, I've never been on Twitter. Let me know how it goes. More or less that's my stand.

If something fantastic like that happens, I would probably reconsider and maybe even think about it, but that's a good problem to have. Let's talk, because I'd be, "We've won! They did it finally!"

So it would be nice to be able to talk about it anywhere.