SEPT 25 - 27, 2026 | LONDON
Few figures in tennis command the respect that Andre Agassi does. An eight-time major champion and one of the sport’s most influential voices, Agassi has experienced almost everything the game can offer. Yet when he arrived for his first Laver Cup as Captain of Team World, he discovered a new perspective on tennis.
“My first experience of the Laver Cup was outstanding,” Agassi reflected following Team World’s thrilling 15-9 victory in San Francisco last year. “I didn’t know what to expect going into this.”
The three-day contest proved to be one of the most dramatic in the competition’s history. Team Europe, led by Captain Yannick Noah and Vice Captain Tim Henman, dominated the opening day. Team World responded emphatically, sweeping every match on Saturday before the teams traded results on the final day. Ultimately, Team World prevailed, sealing its third Laver Cup title when Taylor Fritz delivered the decisive blow.
All for one
For Agassi, the tournament offered a rare opportunity to watch elite players from the inside and to help guide them through moments of pressure.
“I knew what I’d get from the boys from a playing perspective,” he said. “You don’t just want to parachute into their lives. I’ve talked to a lot of them multiple times. I was really looking forward to [watching] them in real-time, battle, finding ways to hopefully get the most out of themselves.”
Agassi described the Laver Cup as “intense”, living every moment from the Captain’s on-court bench alongside Vice Captain Patrick Rafter. “Peers that are playing against each other, they’re playing for each other and, in some strange way, they’re also proving something to each other,” he said.
“You bring that team dynamic in, and you bring that level of professionalism and perfectionism that every player has in their own way on full display with each other, for each other, against each other. It’s the best seat in the house, sitting next to those boys.”
For a player who spent two decades navigating the emotional demands of professional tennis –encapsulated in Agassi’s best-selling autobiography Open – the Captain’s seat offered a shift in perspective. “After all these years of tennis, it was a gift to experience tennis that way,” he said.
“Everything I’ve ever encountered in this game felt like it was on high display. The intuitiveness of knowing what these guys are feeling ahead of moments that were about to happen, not missing a single ball of practice, with the only objective to show those guys we don’t take anything for granted when we’re on a tennis court. To me, that’s a lifetime of experience.”
The Captain’s role
Much of that experience came through observing the individual personalities within his team and learning how each player approached the competition. The Captain’s role, Agassi believes, is not to impose authority but to earn trust.
“I’m proud of what I did with that team, I really am. I wouldn’t change anything. I’m proud of those guys. I’m thankful for their buy-in, for their trust. You have to earn it, you can’t demand it, especially with those guys. I wouldn’t change much – not just because we won – I wouldn’t change much because I watched them thrive.”
For example, rookie Alex Michelsen pushed Jakub Mensik to three sets, including a 10-point ‘Laver Breaker’ on Day 1.
“I watched Michelsen, who’s such a good competitor, who was so nervous, he was just not getting over that hump to relax,” recalled Agassi. “For him to get himself back into that match against Mensik, for him to give himself a chance, for him to feel like he belonged … that’s a proud moment.”
Agassi also pointed to the collective effort that defined the team’s comeback on Saturday, a clean sweep with victories going to Alex de Minaur over Alexander Zverev, Francisco Cerundolo over Holger Rune, Taylor Fritz over Carlos Alcaraz, and Saturday’s winning doubles pair, de Minaur and Michelsen, over Casper Ruud and Rune.
“There’s a lot to be proud of,” Agassi reiterated. “I love watching these guys grow as players. [Joao] Fonseca … he’s a spectacular human being, remarkable beyond his years. He’s so aware of his environment at all times. He says very few things, but when he does, it matters, and it’s right on point.”
A Winning Combination
The partnership with Vice-Captain Rafter was central to Team World’s success.
“I wouldn’t have done that job without him,” declared Agassi. “I wanted him, I needed him, he’s a pleasure to be around. We had so much fun connecting with the guys.
“He played the game so different to me and was able to add things that these guys are still taking with them. It brought a level of energy that I think helped the team believe in themselves.”
When the final point arrived, the moment carried particular significance for Agassi.
“I loved the way Taylor ended it because he closed on that backhand volley,” he said with a smile. “Taylor sees alligators inside the service line… I’m like, ‘dude, nothing’s going to bite you, man, get up there and close.’
“He finished up with that backhand volley, and my first thought was, ‘atta boy.’ My next thought was, ‘holy shit, we just won.’”
Towards London
Agassi’s focus has turned to the next challenge: The O2, host venue for the ninth edition of the Laver Cup in London from September 25-27, 2026.
“I’m so looking forward to London,” he said. “The O2 — I’ve never been there; it looks like one of the great arenas in the world. I look forward to everybody being healthy and strong and ready.”
Two players have already been confirmed for Team World: Fritz and de Minaur, with four places still to be filled. Whoever joins them will be expected to embrace the ethos Agassi believes defines success at the Laver Cup.
“We’re not measured by greatness; we’re measured by one person having to step on a tennis court,” he said. “We’re not charged with running out of clock, we’re charged with getting past the finish line — and every single point is part of that tapestry.”
It is a philosophy forged over a lifetime in the game, and one Agassi will carry with him when Team World arrives at The O2 next September.
