SEPT 19 - 21, 2025 | SAN FRANCISCO
Andre Agassi remembers well the first time he became aware of Yannick Noah.
He was just 13, a Vegas-born tennis phenom, a reluctant boarder at the Nick Bollettieri Academy in Bradenton, Fla. Noah, an uber-athletic, dreadlocked talent discovered by none other than Arthur Ashe, was some 4,600 miles away in Paris putting an end to a 37-year title drought for French men on the red clay of Roland Garros via a 6-2, 7-5, 7-6(3) triumph over Swede Mast Wilander.
As the L’Equipe headline announced the following morning, UNE ÉTOILE EST NÉE!
A STAR IS BORN!
“It was one of the great days in our sport, watching Yannick get over the finish line in Paris,” recalled Agassi. “That’s when I became aware. I remember meeting him for the first time at the Hamlet Cup in Long Island before the US Open. He was bigger than life. Every time he came around, I was too young and too nervous to talk to him, but he showed me love and respect, and I’ll never forget it.”
Agassi, now 55, will go head-to-head with Noah when his Team World roster takes on Team Europe in San Francisco, Sept. 19-21. The newly appointed Laver Cup captains got their first look at the black Chase Center court on Tuesday. Though they faced each other on only two occasions during their playing days, splitting decisions at the Davis Cup and in Indian Wells, both in 1989, there exists a clear mutual admiration.
“One of the great regrets in my career was not being more overlapped with this man’s career,” said Agassi, nodding toward his new Laver Cup foe. “He was just one of the great players, the great characters on the court, and one of the great people off the court.”
Noah, 65, remembers first hearing about Agassi from Bollettieri himself. Said the academy model pioneer, “I’ll tell you something, Yannick, there’s a little kid here who’s going to be very good. But I have to really make sure he’s disciplined.”
Agassi, of course, would find that discipline and then some during a Hall of Fame career that would see him rise to No.1 in the PIF ATP Rankings and win some 60 tour-level singles titles, including eight Grand Slams and an Olympic gold medal. That doesn’t mean there won’t be any nerves when Team World, featuring the likes of Taylor Fritz, Alex De Minaur, Francisco Cerundolo, Reilly Opelka, João Fonseca and Alex Michelsen, takes the court on Friday.
“Coaching is about what you hear, not what you say. Learning who they are as people and players will be the challenge.” — Team World Captain Andre Agassi
“I don’t know how I’ll deal with it as a coach, as a captain, so to speak,” said Agassi, who took the reins from fellow American John McEnroe. “I have to kind of learn this in real time. In some respects, it’s a little harder watching them play. I’ll just have to rally the guys’ spirit, rally their energy, their focus, and try to be ready for a high level of engagement. Coaching is about what you hear, not what you say. Learning who they are as people and players will be the challenge.”
For his part, Noah knows he has some big shoes to fill in stepping in to replace Swedish legend Bjorn Borg, who led Team Europe to five victories in seven Laver Cup outings.
“It’s an honor to come after Bjorn,” he said. “He has meant so much for tennis in general. I’m very lucky, very grateful to be here. These guys are going to feel the pressure, but the tennis is going to be amazing the way these kids are playing, the way they hit the ball so hard. Everything is ready for this to be a great week.”
Noah and his Vice Captain, former serve-and-volley great Tim Henman of Great Britain, have a deep lineup at their disposal, one that includes the six-time major singles titlist and recently rechristened world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, as well as Alexander Zverev, Casper Ruud, Holger Rune, Jakub Mensik and Flavio Cobolli.
“These are arguably the best athletes in the world serving our sport, and I can’t wait just to be a part of being up close and personal with this generation and watch them do what they do,” said Agassi, who tabbed onetime rival and a two-time US Open champion Patrick Rafter of Australia as his Vice Captain. “With that being said, this format really allows for some serious moments of pressure. I think every match could go in any direction but, on paper, we are the underdog.”
