Laver Cup
No. 1 Club icons unite: Agassi, Rafter lead Team World’s new era
Former World No. 1s take reins
September 18, 2025
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Team World captain Andre Agassi (middle) and vice captain Patrick Rafter (left) greet Jakub Mensik.
By ATP Staff
Andre Agassi and Patrick Rafter often battled at some of the sport’s biggest tournaments in their day. Now, they will stand side by side as they guide Team World at the Laver Cup.
Team World captain Agassi and vice captain Rafter, two of the 29 members in the ATP No. 1 Club, are taking over in a new era of Laver Cup leadership. Agassi is replacing John McEnroe as Team World’s captain while Yannick Noah spearheads Team Europe, formerly led by Bjorn Borg.
“Truth be told, I don’t think I would’ve done it if Pat didn’t say he would join me,” Agassi told ATPTour.com. “I literally said, ‘You’re the guy I want’. He was one of the great players, one of the great athletes, one of the great competitors.”
Agassi and Rafter met 15 times, spanning 1993-2001, in their Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry, with the American winning 10 of those matches. Now, more than two decades after their final meeting, Agassi and Rafter’s mutual respect and friendship will be on display in San Francisco.
“He was one of those guys who when I lost to him, I could actually take a little solace in the fact that, ‘Well, at least Pat won and I’m happy for him’,” reflected Agassi. “He just always earned players’ respect on and off the court and now to share the same side of the net with him is a win for me.”
Rafter echoed that same sentiment to the assembled media: “Andre asked me, “Do you want to be involved?” Being with Andre is awesome. I did keep in contact with him once a year. You don’t often keep in contact with a lot of the ex-players. Just so much respect for him… This is so beautiful, so amazing. [I’m] spoiled rotten, I’m loving it.”
After a narrow 13-11 defeat last year, Team World will aim for its third Laver Cup triumph (2022, 2023) with new voices on the sideline.
