Andre Agassi stood on court at the O2 Arena after Team Europe’s 13-5 Laver Cup win and turned straight to Carlos Alcaraz with a smile that said everything. The Spanish star had been undefeated across the three days, winning doubles with Jakub Mensik and then surviving a thriller against Taylor Fritz on Saturday. His presence lifted the entire European side. Agassi saw it and still found a way to get into a banger. Alcaraz had been out for months with a wrist injury. His return this weekend helped Team Europe reclaim the trophy.
Agassi said “But how great is it to have Carlitos back in the house? My man, we missed you. The game really, really missed you. In real-time, I missed you. I was praying every day that your wrist would get better, like somewhere in October, not before this weekend.”
Agassi, who was captain of the Team World side, somehow managed to sound both humble and slightly regretful at the same time. The crowd laughed and players on both benches laughed while even Alcaraz cracked a smile.
‘I could start listening to your press conferences again’: Andre Agassi has a fun banter with Alexander Zverev
This is what makes the Laver Cup feel different from the rest of the calendar. Captains are allowed to speak freely, and Agassi has never been short of words. He spent the earlier part of his speech teasing Alexander Zverev about past press-conference misery, then moved to Alcaraz with genuine Banter.
Speaking about the German, Agassi said “Congratulations, Sascha. Crazy year, seeing you win for the first time, I know how important that was to you. It was important to me too because I could start listening to your press conferences again, where you weren’t like, ‘Uh, why do I always lose? Why do I always. Why am I third best in the world? I suck. I mean, but then you win, and it’s like, ‘I’m only a one-time Slam champion, I gotta do it again.”
Agassi also admitted that tennis is better when Alcaraz is healthy and playing. He also praised the captain of Team Europe. “Remember Yannick last year, when we beat you at home and you said how much you hated playing us at home?
We have something in common, now. Playing you guys at home sucks. Well done, guys, it’s a pleasure watching you play live and sitting next to you. I mean, each and every one of you.” he added.
