“Dominic Thiem Says Yes to Everything” Roger Federer Reveals Insights About his Teammates at Laver Cup 2019

Published 09/18/2019, 1:32 PM EDT

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The Laver Cup 2019 is all set to begin this weekend as the biggest tennis stars will be clubbed together in two teams – Team World and Team Europe to compete against each other in the three-day event. Roger Federer returns to take part in the tournament for the third straight year, along with Alexander Zverev, both of whom are a part of Team Europe.

Team Europe also has two newcomers, with Fabio Fognini and Stefanos Tsitsipas joining the ranks. Roger Federer talked about his experience with his teammates at the 2019 Laver Cup.

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The 20-time Grand Slam champion praised Dominic Thiem for his obedience and calmness. He commented: “Thiem says yes to everything Yes: He is completely relaxed, also in dealing with the media. That’s a fact. He is known for being super relaxed.”

The 38-year-old feels that Alexander Zverev is still learning but is an extrovert. “Zverev is still young and learning, but he is also very open and relaxed. At some point, he goes into the tunnel,” Federer said.

Federer is excited to know the next-gen star, Stefanos Tsitsipas as he is not acquainted of him. Roger Federer is also unaware of Fabio Fognini’s ability to relax prior to a match.

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“I do not know Tsitsipas very well, so I’m curious what the week will be like. Fognini is completely relaxed. I do not know how much he does before the match.”

Talking about his arch-rival Rafael Nadal, the Swiss maestro said: “Rafa is just an incredible team player. He just needs enough training. He has to have an hour more. I do not know how he does it, whether he sleeps in the afternoon. This is especially important for him.”

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Roger Federer also revealed that the whole team stays together in the same hotel and he enjoys to sit around the same table with Tsitsipas, Zverev, and Nadal.

He further added: “We are in the same hotel while Team World stays at another hotel. There are nights where we go eating together. I think it’s great to sit around the table with Stefanos, Sascha, Thiem, and Rafa. We also have coffees.”

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Written by:

Varun Khanna

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Starting off as a tennis author in 2018, Varun Khanna has gone on to contribute to EssentiallySports in various capacities. After setting up interviews with the likes of Serena Williams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou, Alizé Cornet, and Noah Rubin, Varun is now part of all major ATP and WTA press conferences and has gone on to pen more than 1300 articles for EssentiallySports. He now heads the tennis and NBA division of the organization.
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