Carlos Alcaraz will be the centerpiece of Team Europe at this week’s Laver Cup in San Francisco, while on the opposite bench, one of tennis’s all-time greats will be plotting against him.
Laver Cup, it always seems to deliver, doesn’t it?
Eight-time major champion Andre Agassi makes his debut as Captain of Team World, stepping in for John McEnroe, and he’s already tipping his cap to the World No.1, a player that he’s excited to watch up close and personal this weekend in the Chase Center in San Fransico.
“There’s not a place in the world where he goes and he’s not the crowd favourite,” Agassi told ATPTour.com. “And for obvious reasons. What he’s brought to the game is a mixture of the last generation we had.
“I know Novak is still playing, but Novak, Roger and Rafa — he’s like a combination of all of them in one, with the RPMs he can put [on the ball], the defence that he has like Novak, the feel that he has like Federer. To see that in one person on a tennis court is remarkable.”
The admiration is real, and pretty universal at this point, but Agassi knows he’ll also have to prepare his team to put the kibosh on Alcaraz’s brilliance. Easier said than done... “[He is] one of the most explosive, dynamic players that the game has ever seen,” Agassi said. “I’ve seen him play live a few times, but to be down there on the court next to it will be something special.”
The eighth edition of the Laver Cup, and the first held in California, kicks off Friday with the following slate. Each victory on Day 1 is worth one point:
Laver Cup, Day 1 Schedule – Friday
1 pm Day Session: Ruud vs. Opelka FOLLOWED BY Mensik vs. Michelsen
7 pm Night Session: Cobolli vs. Fonseca FOLLOWED BY Alcaraz/Mensik vs. Fritz/Michelsen
