Team Europe might win the 2024 Laver Cup, but their victory was surrounded by drama. For example, former ATP number one Daniil Medvedev did something that almost got him disqualified from the tournament. While Medvedev called his act “lucky,” a journalist decoded how his expression showcased his failure to earn a point for his team.
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An Athletic representative attended the 2024 Laver Cup match and discussed aspects such as Andre Agassi’s captaincy, John McEnroe’s insights, Team World’s performance, and more. However, he struck a chord with the audience when he offered an interesting take on Daniil Medvedev’s racquet-throwing incident during the tournament. In his second-round match against Emil Ruusuvuori, the former ATP No. 1 threw his racquet toward his water bottles in disappointment after missing several opportunities to break serve in the first two sets. That incident resulted in his water bottles flying in two directions, and he was warned for misconduct.
Speaking about the incident, the journalist said, “It was pointed out that being sort of the irony that this is the first time Medvedev has won an event for the second time although he contributed zero point, almost got disqualified and that actually counts. I find it quite entertaining.” The journalist’s statement pointed out how Medvedev’s failure to win a point led him to frustration.
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However, Medvedev had an interesting point about it. Calling it “lucky,” he first refused that he had any clear intention to do it. Then he said, “I mean… I meant to throw it in one place, which is a bad move on my part. I was lucky, that’s true. I didn’t hit anyone. And when you don’t hit anyone, you’re not disqualified. That’s all.” However, he also accepted that he shouldn’t have done it.
Medvedev lost the match to Ben Shelton. While he suffered a defeat, the match result brought an interesting realization to his American opponent.
Ben Shelton confronts his Laver Cup belief after winning against Daniil Medvedev
Medvedev had quite a run at the Laver Cup after losing two singles matches against lower-ranked American opponents. Following Tiafoe, Shelton overpowered the Russian with an impressive performance. Post-match, he was asked whether the tournament was scripted, and the American had the best response: “If the Laver Cup is fixed, they haven’t informed me yet, I haven’t been given any script.”
He added the reference of Alcaraz and Ruud to explain how each player prioritized this tournament. “Carlos and Casper playing incredibly in the doubles. I have never seen singles players put in so much effort in doubles – I think all of this is an example of what this tournament means to us,” he said.
The Laver Cup might conclude with Team Europe’s victory this season, but Team World put up a great fight. From Medvedev’s incident to Roger Federer’s admiring smile for Alcaraz, the tournament brought much excitement, igniting the spark of team spirit.