SEPT 20 - 22, 2024 | BERLIN
Greek trailblazer Stefanos Tsitsipas is a well-seasoned Team Europe player having competed in the competition since Laver Cup Geneva 2019, winning two titles on Captain Bjorn Borg’s team and further developing his game alongside several of his idols, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
“My favorite memory was winning the title in Geneva,” he says. “I spent that night with Roger, Fabio (Fognini), Sascha (Zverev), and the rest of the pack, celebrating and having fun. It was definitely very memorable and a once-in-a lifetime type of thing.”
He now views himself as somewhat of a team leader, entering a fourth Laver Cup with a 3-1 win-loss record in singles, the hardest loss coming in London last year against Frances Tiafoe on the final day.
“I see myself as someone who has experienced it a few times, so I can definitely use that in a way to guide the rest of them and introduce them into the scene. It gives me a little bit of motivation that it’s also up to me to push everyone and motivate everyone to do well and help the team blend in together as nicely as possible before the competition kicks in.”
Andrey Rublev, Tsitsipas’ teammate and doubles partner at Laver Cup Boston 2021, says the Athens-born champion infuses Team Europe with confidence and can be relied upon to win points.
“He’s an amazing player. When you have Stefanos on your team it gives you confidence that everything is going to be good.”
Ruud, who was also there in Boston, knows how badly Tsitsipas wants to reclaim the Laver Cup from first-time defending champions, Team World.
“He’s come in clutch in a couple of big matches, he’ll probably seek some revenge from last year, he lost a tough one there on the last day against Tiafoe.”
How it’s going
Tsitsipas has played a starring role in the Top 10 since breaking through in April 2019 and climbing to a career-high No.3 two years later in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. He has now accumulated 10 ATP singles titles, including two at the Monte-Carlo Masters 1000 in 2021 and 2022, adding his most recent this year in Los Cabos, Mexico.
The Next Gen 2018 champion created history at Roland Garros in 2021, becoming the first Greek player to advance to a Grand Slam final, and repeated the feat at this year’s Australian Open, on both occasions falling to Novak Djokovic. He performed consistently well throughout the clay-court season, reaching the finals at Barcelona, the semis in Rome, and the last eight at Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Roland Garros.
Three of his four singles matches at Wimbledon 2023 went to five sets, including a fourth-round battle against Christopher Eubanks.
Tsitsipas at the Laver Cup
Tsitsipas is looking forward to again joining his year-round rivals in one team, and for one purpose.
“This competition allows you to be part of a new union, to be part of a team, to fight for the beautiful Laver Cup trophy, and to give it your all,” he says.
“I bring a lot of energy into the team. I like to celebrate, I like to go out there and give it my all, I like to feel the other players are part of the match, I don’t exclude them from my mission, and for sure I’m out there on the bench whenever they’re playing, supporting them almost every single point.
“I have done this for the last few years. At the end of the three-day competition, I am most of the time exhausted and tired, and that is a sign that I’ve really put in everything that I’ve had to support myself but also to support my teammates.
“To win the Laver Cup we need to fight as a union.”
Tsitsipas enjoys the style of Captain, Borg, who he says trusts his players to “do the talking on the court” while the Swedish legend quietly analyzes each match.
“I really like the tranquillity and the quietness that Borg instills in our team. I’ve always liked this type of approach and I have always felt very calm when I am sitting next to him on the bench.”
Read Stefanos Tsitsipas’ full Team Europe profile.
