ALCARAZ-MENSIK/Bublik-Fritz
6-4, 6-4
Team Europe - 3
Team World - 1
THE MODERATOR: Congratulations, Team Europe. Great start.
Yannick, let's start with a question for you. How do you feel after today with the energy and execution of your team?
CAPTAIN YANNICK NOAH: Well, it was a very interesting first day, a lot of emotions. First two matches were so close. You know, it can go either way. Start with winning the tiebreaker 10-8, and then second game, losing the tiebreaker. So that was a lot.
But the spirit in the team is very good. After that, I'm happy with the third and fourth match. The doubles was very entertaining.
But again, I know that last year we were up 3-1 the first day, so now it's time to go rest and get ready for a good, interesting weekend.
THE MODERATOR: Questions.
Q. Carlos, you gave quite a bit of coaching today. I enjoyed your coaching. What is it like kind of giving your insights and giving tactical advice? Do you enjoy that, and do you think you're good at it?
CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I enjoy that a lot, to be honest. Sometimes I probably, you know, talk too much, and I don't know if I'm gonna helping the player.
But I'm try my best, you know, every time they approach the bench. You know, I just trying to say the things that I was seeing, you know, outside, outside the court that normally you can see the things more clearly.
Yeah, I love that. I love, you know, giving my opinion of how I see the things, you know, on the court and hopefully helping the player who was playing out there.
Q. A great match in the doubles. Maybe one for Jakub and Yannick. In the first set, Carlos had a tricky service game, three breakpoints. In a situation like that, is that both of your roles to kind of keep quiet, or do you continue to energize him and cheer him up?
CAPTAIN YANNICK NOAH: Well, it really depends on the player. You know, this is why it's important to know each other.
Last year, tell you the truth, I had no idea what to say, really, because I don't know what emotion. You have sometimes a player that likes to be energized, and other player, the same moment, the same score, wants to calm down. So it depend on the tone of the voice sometimes. Even my body language can bother someone.
So today I feel I'm lucky, because we have our top players. They are very generous people. It's not like the No. 1, No. 2 just stay in their corner. So they are helping me, if I have to answer you this question, but we're together. We try to enjoy the fact that we're a team, and it's not just about saying it. It's about, you know, being together when it counts.
You know, sometimes, especially in doubles, sometimes it's like one point like this, one lucky shot, one great shot. The next thing you know, you're like deuce.
This is what they did. They didn't panic. They have experience, but they didn't panic at this point. But yes, you know, if we lose this game, it can be different.
Q. I've got a question for Carlos. You looked so comfortable and happy out there playing doubles. Do you wish you had more time on the tour to do that a bit more often?
CARLOS ALCARAZ: 100%. I wish I could play more doubles during the whole year. Sometimes it's tricky, you know, because the skill of the singles, how demanding physically and mentally it can be, a singles match sometimes.
I try to make the most of the day that I have between matches to rest up and feel better for the next singles match. So if I'm playing doubles, you know, I cannot use that day to rest up. Probably I'm going to put my body into a stress situation again.
But, you know, I will consider, you know, some tournaments to play doubles, because I have a lot of fun. I enjoy so much out there.
I use it to be better in some shots and some specific moments that I really want to use in the singles, so hopefully I'm healthy enough physically to play more doubles on the tour.
Q. A question to both of you, Carlos and Jakub. You have natural chemistry, it feels like, on the court. Is that something that just happened last year in San Francisco, or do you guys spend a lot of time with each other on the tour?
JAKUB MENSIK: Well, yeah, I mean, with Carlos, it's always about good energy. You know, I think he's the guy who is really easy to follow up, not just on the court but off the court.
Yeah, I mean, San Francisco when we played, I mean, we complete each other pretty well on the court. So it's pretty good.
Yeah, I'm just happy that this year we showed it again. Yeah, I think it's just something that, you know, we feel is good and we just go for it. So I'm happy that it works.
CARLOS ALCARAZ: Yeah, I mean, I feel the same way. You know, like having any time to spend time, you know, on court with Jakub is great. It's a great experience.
I think we have great chemistry, and we showed that in San Francisco and this year once again. So we just 100% efficient when we team up (smiling).
As I said, he's a nice person off the court, as well. We have great laughs, and I think we translate that, you know, on the court, which we can play great tennis.
It's really easy to play with him, so that's why we play great tennis together.
Q. A question for Yannick. You just said it's important to know your players well and to do what everyone like. How do you manage to coach the guys that are used to the Laver Cup and that you already know, and Rafa Jodar that just arrive and that you don't know as much as the guys? Do you speak before with him, or do you let everyone include him in the group?
CAPTAIN YANNICK NOAH: You know, these guys are, like, top players. You know, even he's young, he's been doing great already in the circuit. He has his own team. His dad is here, so they've been doing that forever together.
So it's not that I'm coming, all of a sudden, a champion and organization and just tell him. Again, last year, I didn't know anyone. So I met his team, I met his team, I met his family. So for me it's easier to go to Carlos Alcaraz and say, Okay, Carlos, what do you think?
He knows what he has to do, really. And the highest you are, the more you know what to do.
So sometimes I can maybe propose something, and it's for him to accept it. Then it's maybe easier on me, I'm more involved with somebody just he's like 50 in the world or something like this. But that's not the case.
They're all champions. The way I do is sometimes I talk to the people around, like I talked to Rafa's dad and was telling him how he is. I feel like I talk to the players before the game. I say, What do you see?
Because he's a very shy -- not shy, but very quiet person. So I don't know if, after 30-Love, first game, I'm like, Come on (shouting), maybe I'm going to bother him.
So I talk to the players, I talk to the guys, you know, to Flavio and asked him, Okay, how do you think?
He goes, Ask him (smiling).
So I didn't have to, because I could tell that during the match, early during the match, he gave me this energy when he was making the point, going like this (pumping fist), okay, this is what he likes.
So it's not pretty much what I say. It's pretty much what they feel, if I can be useful. I try to go with their energy. Everybody has a different energy.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports