LAVER CUP

September 24, 2022

Thomas Enqvist

Matteo Berrettini

Press Conference

M. BERRETTINI/F. Auger-Aliassime

7-6, 4-6, 10-7

Team Europe - 4

Team World - 2

THE MODERATOR: Welcome to the press conference with Matteo Berrettini and Thomas Enqvist.

Questions.

Q. Matteo, about yourself, you went through, like everybody else last night, with the emotions of Roger. You have come in today to replace him. What sort of pressures and feelings have you had over the last 24 hours or so? How have you managed to cope with it all?

MATTEO BERRETTINI: A lot of pressure, not really. Just really happy to be here and honored to, you know, represent Team Europe instead of him in singles. Having the chances to, you know, to live what we lived yesterday is something that's going to be stuck in my heart and my brain forever.

I'm not lying when I say that I'm here because of him. Like he was really the one that I was looking up to. He was the one that I was supporting, cheering for him. I was getting upset, I remember crying after he lost the finals in 2009 in Australia because he was crying.

So for me, living these moments is something really that means everything. So it was tough, tough to sleep. I didn't get a lot of sleep (smiling).

But at the same time, I was really pumped to step in and give my best. I'm really happy obviously for the win, but I feel like this weekend we're kind of celebrating something that is bigger than Laver Cup, than tennis. It's just him.

Q. That was obviously a really big battle like it always seems to be between and you Felix. Roger was giving you some tips and pointers during the match, which I'm guessing was pretty surreal. How was that? In time, will Roger make a very good coach?

MATTEO BERRETTINI: I mean, he can do anything, anything he wants (smiling).

No, actually it's actually weird, because when you're in the court, you're not thinking, oh, my God, Roger is coaching me. You're just focusing on the next point, next game. You're just there, and you obviously need help sometimes and you want help from the biggest players in the world, from Thomas, Bjorn, and everybody that is there on the bench.

You're not really thinking, okay, maybe Casper told me something or Roger told me something so since Roger told me, it's more important. You just take any advice.

But then when you finish the match, you're kind of, like, Wait, what? Last night, for example, one of the reasons why I couldn't sleep is like Roger was crying on my shoulder. Like what did I do to deserve this, you know?

So that's why I'm able to kind of switch when I'm playing, which is really nice, but it's not easy, as well. Like I keep reminding myself that I had to be focused in the match, otherwise my feelings, emotions, would be too much to handle.

Q. A lot to be said about the void being left by Roger and Serena in terms of superstar status. Are you conscious of that? Is it something you think other players need to step into? Is that one of the reasons you got involved with the Netflix thing and became one of the stars of that?

MATTEO BERRETTINI: I honestly think that he brought tennis to the next level. You know, like his rivalry obviously with Rafa, with Novak, brought tennis in the houses of people that probably never watched tennis before.

I think obviously we are here because of him because of those great matches, all the records that they broke. I don't know. I feel like we shouldn't feel that kind of pressure, me or all the players that are better than me, even Carlos Alcaraz, that is having unbelievable season. I think everybody has their own path and stuff, and you should be proud of what you're doing.

If a few years ago someone told me, Look, you're going to play Laver Cup and Roger's going to coach you, I would have been, like, Yeah, right.

But you never know in life what's happening. I think you have to enjoy the journey and what you're doing. Then maybe in the future someone is going to be better than him, but right now, we just have to do what he is telling us to do: to enjoy. Yesterday, he was like, You guys have no idea how lucky you are, because you get to keep playing.

I never thought -- I mean, I thought about that, but Roger telling you that, it means a lot.