Tennis legend experiences a horror day as he says goodbye – but can then laugh again

As part of the extensive coverage of the 2024 Laver Cup, people who attended the gala dinner on Thursday evening reported that John McEnroe is certainly upset about Andre Agassi being appointed captain of Team World from next year. Has yesterday’s horror Sunday helped McEnroe to step down more easily? Or would he be looking to make amends immediately?

If you missed it: On the third and final day, the audience in Berlin really got a lot for their entrance fee. More than nine hours of tennis, with many twists and surprises. And at the end, Carlos Alcaraz crowned his debut at the Laver Cup.

But first things first. And back to John McEnroe.

Ruud pulls himself up on Alcaraz

He was able to go into the first party of the day with a very good feeling. Team World had built up an 8:4 lead on Friday and Saturday – and nominated a doubles team with Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe, who were clearly the favorites against Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud. Ruud had delivered a really modest performance alongside Stefanos Tsitsipas the evening before. But no: Alcaraz built up his partner, and the Europeans scored three points that were not necessarily planned.

One would have expected that from Daniil Medvedev against Ben Shelton. But the left-hander’s hard-fought victory over Medvedev was to be the only success for John McEnroe’s team that afternoon. Things were looking so good for Frances Tiafoe against Alexander Zverev! Set and break ahead, then a single weak game – and Zverev accepted the offer, improved and gave Carlos Alcaraz the template to secure the Europeans’ fifth victory at the seventh edition of the Laver Cup.

Fritz gives us hope

And as brilliant as Alcaraz played the match against Taylor Fritz for long stretches, when Fritz managed to break back to 4:4 in the second set, John McEnroe also regained hope. But Fritz did not manage to win a tiebreak, in which a lot might still have been possible. No. Alcaraz won 6:2 and 7:5. And John McEnroe could not ride off into the sunset with a victory in his pocket.

However, John McEnroe carried out the farewell with his usual class and a bit of combativeness. It would be a miracle if we didn’t see the legendary left-hander in San Francisco next year, even if no longer in an “official” capacity.

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