History and happy vibes the perfect combo for Frances Tiafoe in Berlin

BERLIN—From the very start of the Laver Cup 2024’s first match in Berlin on Friday, it was easy to spot Frances Tiafoe in the arena. Cutting an animated figure by the side of the court, the American entertained the crowd with his support for teammate Francisco Cerundolo against Team Europe’s Casper Ruud - including much waving of hands to indicate line calls in Team World’s favor.

The vocal support paid off, with Cerundolo securing the first point of the day, beating the Norwegian 6-4, 6-4. For Tiafoe, who is making his fifth appearance in the Laver Cup, the team camaraderie of the event is an atmosphere he thrives in.

“I love events like these. It makes me want to play well, makes me want to show up, put a show on for everybody and win for my team,” he told Tennis Channel in Berlin.

“I think the sport needs more team events to be able to show your personalities and get guys out of their comfort zone. I think the Laver Cup does a great job of that, bringing the best players in the world together to compete in one weekend and see how it goes.”

Winning the first point of the weekend is the best start for Team World’s title defence. John McEnroe’s side arrived in Berlin as underdogs, with heavyweights including Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev heading up the European team. But Tiafoe thinks he and his teammates can surprise a few people.

“Me, Taylor (Fritz) and Ben (Shelton) are gonna have to really put in a shift this week. Doubles is gonna be huge,” he continued.

“Obviously on paper we're not supposed to win, you know, that's factual. But, you know, I think matchup-wise in the format, things can happen. So we'll see every day, we’ll play for what it is and have some fun.”

But fun isn’t the only thing inspiring Tiafoe in the German capital. Berlin’s rich history has captivated the world number 16, who is visiting for the first time.

“It's taken me by surprise,” he admitted.

“I really like it, I think it's a pretty cool city. Obviously there’s a lot of history here. Architecture. I got to learn a lot about the Berlin Wall and how that all went down, and we went to the US embassy too.

“Obviously, we've been pretty busy with commitments for the event, but happy to be here and I'm sure we’ll get to see it a little more.”

But fun isn’t the only thing inspiring Tiafoe in the German capital. Berlin’s rich history has captivated the world number 16, who is visiting for the first time.

“It's taken me by surprise,” he admitted.

“I really like it, I think it's a pretty cool city. Obviously there’s a lot of history here. Architecture. I got to learn a lot about the Berlin Wall and how that all went down, and we went to the US embassy too.

“Obviously, we've been pretty busy with commitments for the event, but happy to be here and I'm sure we’ll get to see it a little more.