Ben Shelton says what he thinks about John McEnroe before his final Laver Cup as Team World captain

Follow us on Google Discover

Ben Shelton was full of praise for John McEnroe ahead of the 2024 Laver Cup.

The 21-year-old is due to make his second appearance in the ATP Tour’s unique team event which will commence on Friday at the Uber Arena in Berlin, Germany.

He will part of Team World which includes Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Francisco Cerundolo, Thanasi Kokkinakis and Alejandro Tabilo.

They will be captained by John McEnroe for the final time, and 2024 also marks the last time that Team Europe will be led by Bjorn Borg.

What did Ben Shelton say about John McEnroe?

McEnroe has captained multiple players from Team World since the Laver Cup’s inception in 2017, from big servers such as Nick Kyrgios and John Isner, to breakout stars like Shelton and Cerundolo.

After being on the receiving end of four successive defeats, McEnroe guided Team World to victory in 2022 and 2023.

Ben Shelton, who is being captained by McEnroe at the Laver Cup for the second and final time, gave a glowing assessment of the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion while spelling to reporters.

“Johnny Mac has meant a lot to me being the captain. I think that he’s such a great role model for us as players, especially American players on how to carry the flag and really represent your country,” Shelton told the Laver Cup X account.

“So that’s someone that I’ve definitely looked up to since I’ve been part of the Laver Cup and yeah I’m really going to enjoy this last year with him.”

Cerundolo added: “I didn’t know what John was going to think about my game, or of me” the Argentine said. “I found out that he’s a great guy, a funny person and one of the funniest guys I’ve ever met.

“He gave me some tips about volleys and approaching the net. So I think he was one of the best at doing that, so I’ll take that.”

John McEnroe wants to end Laver Cup captaincy on a winning note

McEnroe has brought plenty of energy to the Laver Cup and his captaincy was rewarded with Team World’s victories in 2022 and 2023.

The former World number one has worked hard to get the best out of his players and buy into the team philosophy of the Laver Cup.

As he prepares to end his time as Laver Cup captain, the three-time Wimbledon champion is keen to finish on a winning note.

“It would be great to go out on a high,” he told the Laver Cup website. “You feel the excitement sitting on the bench at the Laver Cup, and being that close, it’s not often I get that chance anymore, very rare, actually, so I’ll miss that.

“I won’t miss the stress too much because all these guys, all 12 players and the substitute players are all very competitive, and so are the coaches.”