A portrait of team spirit

For one week each year, rivals become teammates at Laver Cup and the ATP Tour’s lone warriors re-discover the power of team. In San Francisco this year, that spirit burned brighter than ever.

For Europe’s new Captain Yannick Noah, it was a revelation.

Noah’s passion set the tone for his young team. They felt the weight and the wonder of representing a collective. Rising Czech star Jakub Mensik summed it up:

“I’m super happy to be part of the team. This event is so unique and so special. Being part of the best players in Europe, it’s just a great feeling.”

For Holger Rune, the connection went beyond the court.

“To be around the team is really cool. All the guys are really nice. We have had some nice trainings and dinners and everything together. So, I feel very privileged to be here. It’s a beautiful event.”

Agreed rookie Flavio Cobolli:

“Last year I was like Tomas, alternate, but I really enjoyed this competition. It’s a pleasure and honor to be here with these guys.”

Team Europe’s veterans echoed that sentiment. Six-time Team Europe representative Alexander Zverev found comfort in the collective:

“Every single team member and every single player on this team knows how to win big tournaments and big titles and big matches. For me sitting on the bench while watching these guys is sometimes very, very comfortable. I have full trust in every single player.”

Six-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz revelled in the rare chance to share the same side of the net as his fiercest competitors.

“That’s the first reason that I love the Laver Cup, because I have a chance to have a team with the players that, during the year, I’m battling against.”

The first player to arrive for practice in San Francisco, Casper Ruud relished an opportunity to observe and learn from the sidelines.

“You have, like, 16 sets of eyes looking at your game for a weekend,” he said. “I really enjoyed watching from the sidelines, because we don’t do that so often. I tried to learn things from our opponents and from my teammates.”

The youngest player for Team World, João Fonseca, absorbed as much as he could from his elders.

“It’s a pleasure being with those guys,” the Brazilian prodigy said. “I’m only listening, not talking. I’m just having some experience from those guys and learning a lot.”

Teammate Alex de Minaur credited the relentless energy around him for pushing him through the pressure moments, notably on Sunday as the stakes rose.

“It was great to see the team energy, team atmosphere on the bench from the very first point until the last. They were all over it. It got me over the line.”

Alex Michelsen, his fleet-footed doubles partner on Saturday night, felt that power first-hand.

“Having some of your peers just yelling for you for hours on end — that’s a really big thing. I was playing horrible yesterday, and I got really inspired by seeing everyone cheering for me.”

The emotional highs and lows of team tennis were captured perfectly by Taylor Fritz.

“The moments of winning feel so much better, the moments of losing feel so much worse because you’re doing it for all these guys. It fires me up so much. Seeing these guys on the bench getting pumped up, seeing a legend of the sport like Andre jumping out of their seat cheering for me — it’s impossible not to be so fired up, and give it everything you have, every point.”

For Argentine Francisco Cerundolo, unity among rivals made the event truly special.

“To have my rivals there as my teammates supporting each other when I play, when they play and have a captain on the court, it feels really special.”

And for Reilly Opelka, returning to play for a legend once more captured what makes the Laver Cup a treasured experience.

“When I played my first Laver Cup in Boston, it was one of the best experiences I’ve had. Playing for a legend like Mac was cool, and getting to play for another legend like Andre is even more special.”

Captain Andre Agassi was blown away by his team’s spirit and commitment to support for one another.

“Everybody played a part in making this one of the most memorable weeks I’ve ever spent on a tennis court. I can honestly say that, and that’s saying something, because it was a lot of years I’ve been out there in one form or another with a perceived team, but this really was a team. So proud of the guys. Just unflappable. They never stopped believing.”