Ben Shelton took over the Laver Cup last year, helping Team World thrash the European team, and he's looking to do that again this year with the help of trash talk.
Last year's Laver Cup and this year's Laver Cup will be very different because Team Europe had the weakest team ever last year. Team World had no issues beating them comfortably, with Shelton lighting the courts on fire with his amazing play in both singles and doubles.
This year's event will be hosted in Berlin, a European city where support will heavily skew towards Team Europe. The roster is also very different, with some players such as Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Alexander Zverev playing, so winning will be much tougher to do for Team World.
Even so, Shelton is confident. He loved his Laver Cup experience last year, and when he got a call to return, he didn't even think about it because it's just a great event with a superb atmosphere for him.
"It was special for me being a part of it for the first time the last year, getting the nod from John McEnroe. [It’s] just an iconic event that you’ve seen a lot of the top players in the sport be a part of, so to be a part of it and compete, feel that team energy and team atmosphere that I love so much, it’s been really cool for me and I’m excited again to be on the team this year."
While Team Europe might overall win the roster battle on paper, Shelton is confident that Team World can challenge them. He confirmed in his talk with the Laver Cup media team that the team wants to win badly.
Winning two years in a row certainly aids the motivation because winning three in a row would be unprecedented for the team. They understand that they will face a revamped and much stronger squad this time, but they still want to win and feel confident.
There is clearly no shortage of belief that they can win, and that will be crucial when they hit the court in Berlin.
"We want to win bad. We beat them down last year and they brought all the big guns to Berlin, so we’re excited for the challenge. We’re a pretty confident group and looking forward to it."
Shelton boasts a 3-0 record so far in the competition, and it just comes from his nature. He's a competitor and loves an atmosphere like that, having competed at the college level in the United States.
There is a lot of trash-talking going on in between the teams, and he just loves that. That's where he thrives.
"[There’s] a lot of banter, a lot of trash talk between the two teams, a lot of jokes with you and your own team. It’s a tennis vibe and atmosphere that you don’t get when you’re just at the normal tournament going through the draw. I’m also good at encouraging people, I think I have a little bit of value to add to the team, even if I’m not playing on the court."
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