LAVER CUP

September 25, 2021

Alexander Zverev

Bjorn Borg

Press Conference

A. ZVEREV/J. Isner

7-6, 6-7, 10-5

Team Europe - 7

Team World - 1

THE MODERATOR: Three tiebreakers. What are you telling yourself at the start of each of those breakers?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: That I'm playing a good match, and at the end of the day, I have to use my chances. To be honest, the second set that I lost, I didn't think I did much wrong. It was a very high-level match.

To be honest, I'm very happy with this win, because it was definitely not an easy one.

THE MODERATOR: Bjorn, at the start of the week, could you have imagined being 7-1 up after three sessions?

CAPTAIN BJORN BORG: No.

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: What do you mean, no? You don't believe in us? (Laughter.)

CAPTAIN BJORN BORG: Of course I believe in you. (Smiling.) I'm very proud of you today, Sascha. You played unbelievable match. Isner, John, he played unbelievable, serving well and hitting the ball really well.

So good tennis. Another match with good tennis. You have seen all the matches. It's been played unbelievable here. We all love it. People love it.

But like Sascha said before, we are in the halfway now to defend our title. It's a long way to go. We are two more matches tonight. Tomorrow is going to be a huge day, big day.

But we are on the way, and we always have a great team spirit in the Team Europe. We are happy, but we're not there yet.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. That was a quality win. Congrats. Can we revisit the advice... (Broken audio.)

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Your Internet...

THE MODERATOR: We'll come back to you. You just cut out.

Q. As the match progressed, the excitement level, what did it actually feel like playing a match, being in the middle of a match like that? Because there was so much extraordinary tennis, and it's been a long time seeing you as thrilled and as excited with some of those winners that you played.

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I mean, look, I mean, I am much calmer than I was a few years ago. I am keeping my cool much better on regular tournaments, but this is a team event. All the emotions come out. Everything that you want, you want as a team.

I think it is very important to show emotions here. It is very important to kind of put, you know, get the fire going. Everybody helped me today. My teammates were incredible today. I had coaching from six different guys, basically. It was amazing to see, and I think everybody enjoyed it.

Q. Wondered if you might revisit those moments when you were getting advice from Roger behind you and from the bench. Take us through that again.

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Yeah, it's funny, because they were saying two completely different things. (Laughter.) So who do I listen to? (Smiling.)

No, it was mainly about the returns, to be honest. You know, from the baseline, in the rallies, I felt quite good. I think I was winning a lot of points.

It was more about the returns. It was more about where to stand and all that.

Roger was telling me to stand closer to the baseline. Everybody else was telling me to go back and try to kind of hit the ball very hard from there. Yeah, two different advices, I would say.

Q. You just faced John today. Who would you say are like the three toughest servers that you faced in your career? Just give us a little thoughts on each of those three, if you would.

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I didn't play Opelka yet, so I can't judge. The top three, I would have to go with, that I played, Isner, Karlovic, and Sam Groth. That would be my top three.

I mean, the two tall guys, we don't need to speak about them, but Sam Groth is somebody that was able to hit the ball extremely hard and was able to get a lot of spin and slice on the ball, so you were never able to kind of read it or catch it.

Q. I would like to know how do you keep your mind clear and the focus against these kind of players, big servers, like you said, John Isner, Ivo Karlovic, you played against him in 2015 if I'm not wrong. How do you keep the focus during the match?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Well, at the end of the day you've got to use the chances that you're getting. You're not getting many, and that's why I think I did well today. The ones that I got, I used them. That's why I say I played a pretty good match. I don't think I could have done a lot of things wrong even though I lost the second set.

I'm happy with that. Yeah, you know, you've got to be patient. You've got to wait for your chances.

Q. You guys basically compete individually on tour, but what is it like competing for a common goal? Especially like six of you guys playing together, cheering each other up, pumping each other? How much does the relationship grow within those players that you like most about? What is it like competing in the team?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I think it's special and unique in a way that, you know, we are six guys who are top 10 and we are six guys who prepare each and every week to play each other. We are normally trying to win against each other.

Here we know that we are in the same team. We don't have to worry about each other, don't have to worry about each other's games. It's unique and special in a way that, you know, normally those are the guys who are the toughest opponents on tour, my teammates here. And here I still know they are the toughest opponents on tour but they are on my side, which is very nice to know.