Team World captain John McEnroe may have directed his guidance to Ben Shelton, but his teammate Thanasis Kokkinakis had an unexpected reaction to the speech. It all started when Shelton was in a tight spot during his Laver Cup match against Carlos Alcaraz. His captain, John McEnroe, stepped in to give Shelton a much-needed pep talk.
During the straight-set defeat, Shelton was trying hard to keep up with the Spaniard when former American tennis player McEnroe, who is captaining Team World, decided to offer a piece of advice to him.
McEnroe explained to Shelton how he had the potential to become one of the top five players in the world by working on some aspects of his game. As he was stressing the importance of being disciplined, another Team World member and Australian player Kokkinakis was keenly listening to the speech.
More than Shelton, Kokkinakis’ response to McEnroe’s words was evident on the screen, capturing the attention of many fans on social media. The Australian could be seen listening to every word with great focus and attention.
A fan feels Kokkinakis also deserved a pep talk from John McEnroe pic.twitter.com/MadwCKtiIb
— TennisWorld (@TennisWorl65157) September 21, 2024
Fan reacts to Kokkinakis’ reaction to McEnroe’s words for Shelton pic.twitter.com/Lbc2VkEQZE
— TennisWorld (@TennisWorl65157) September 21, 2024
This shows the level of respect he has for the American legend. Besides, some fans felt that Kokkinakis wanted McEnroe to also give him a pep talk and share some useful insights on his game, as the look on his face depicted.
Fans also couldn’t resist from expressing their delight in watching McEnroe have such motivating sessions with his players during the game. They also wished to see Born Bjorg do the same for his members of Team Europe.
Kokkinakis’ Laver Cup campaign, however, did not go as planned, losing to Europe’s Stefanos Tsitsipas in the opening round. The Greek player was in fine form, defeating Kokkinakis in straight sets.