AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 19, 2025

Todd Woodbridge

Pat Rafter

Patrick McEnroe

Press Conference

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Good morning, everybody, and welcome. Welcome to a very exciting Laver Cup announcement that we are about to make here today. It's a pleasure to be able to talk about the Laver Cup. In a way it is one of the most exciting events that I've had the privilege being involved with over the last seven years, and we look forward to the eighth edition getting underway in San Francisco later on this season.

As you all know, it has had this amazing synergy between what was called "Fire and Ice" between the Captains of John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg, and, of course, now we have a new iteration of Captains between Andre Agassi and Yannick Noah.

Today we're about to make a very special announcement with another hand-over of the Vice Captainship between Patrick McEnroe, who I would like to welcome, and Patrick Rafter.

I would also like to welcome Tony Godsick, who is the Chair of the Laver Cup. Tony, lovely to have you here, the inspiration that you have brought to the event alongside of Roger Federer and that link of honoring the past generations and in particular what you have done in the event in the name of Rod Laver.

So it is a privilege to have everybody in the room here today. Let's start by saying that the commitment that these great players have of honoring past generations is so important. You've got the likes of Rod. You've had John McEnroe, Bjorn. You have the new Captains, and we get ready to pass that over once again.

So it is a pleasure to be able to say that on behalf of Andre Agassi, his new appointment of Vice Captain will be Pat Rafter, and he will be taking over the reins from Pat McEnroe.

A round of applause, I think, is in order.

(Applause)

Let me start, firstly, I'm going to start with you, Pat McEnroe. Passing the reins --

PATRICK McENROE: You have to call me Patrick. My mom didn't like Pat, even though for this guy it's okay.

But I will say, first of all, it's awesome to be here, and the Laver Cup was one of the great things for me to ever be involved with to help my brother out, but the only thing that Pat Rafter and I have in common is the name because they've stepped it up big-time bringing him in as the Vice Captain, Hall of Famer, and one of the classiest guys around. To hand it off to you, Patty Rafter, is a true privilege for me. Congrats.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Fantastic. Pat, what do you have to say to that? There's a little bit of added pressure the way he's just handed that over.

PAT RAFTER: He has. They had pretty good success, I thought. The Worlds, I think they did really well. That's obviously under the leadership of John and Patrick. Patrick and I had a great time on tour together when we played against each other. I mean, he made the semifinals --

PATRICK McENROE: You had a great time. Maybe not me.

PAT RAFTER: You always treated me really well, mate. We have a lot of mutual respect for each other. So thanks for handing it over, mate. I'm really looking forward to the challenge and trying to get the Worlds to have another win.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Patrick, what are those challenges that Patty Rafter has to look at?

PATRICK McENROE: Well, the challenges are pretty clear that Team Europe is pretty loaded, pretty stacked, but we have a great group of guys. Obviously some of them have made great progress on the tour.

We would love to get Mr. de Minaur back involved with the Australian. He was on the team once before. Obviously we've got some great young Americans. We've got a few more come through here, so maybe those younger guys can be part of the team in the future.

But it's an amazing event. I think it's incredible for tennis overall to see what Tony and Roger and the team there... I have to mention Steve Zacks, who puts this on day-to-day, what he does.

Any time you get the best players in the world on one court, 12 players, it's pretty remarkable to see that happen. So for me to just be a part of it for so long was a real honor.

You know, you get to know the players in a more personal way, and that's going to be a big part of Pat's job. He's going to be the guy that's going to have to get the balls for practice and do all those things. So, you know, good luck with that.

But it's just a tremendous event, and you see by the crowds that come out for it every year. It's been sold out every year. San Francisco next year. In my role as President of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, I will be there to support the Laver Cup again.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: It's good that he will have that little bit of advice to be able to lean on your shoulder in person.

Talking about being the Vice Captain, this is the thing I find really intriguing is that you've got one of the very best returners of all time as the captain sitting on the court, and then you've got one of the greatest serve volleyers of all time. Have you thought about how you are going to blend those two to get the best out of your players, Pat?

PAT RAFTER: I think it's a great combination, actually, because the baseliners can all lean on Andre, and the baseliners can all lean on Andre (laughing).

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Maybe you could give them some skill set training.

PAT RAFTER: Well, I ran into one or two of the boys yesterday, and I said: Mate, just quietly, I'm going to be helping Andre for the Laver Cup. Come along, I can help you with your volleys. I'm just throwing that out there.

PATRICK McENROE: They could use it, a few of them.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Tell us about the call, though. You're up in Byron. It's lovely. Good lifestyle. Getting you back out on tour to do something like this, when you got that call, what was your initial thoughts? Why did you take it on?

PAT RAFTER: Well, first of all, it's Andre. I have a lot of respect and a lot of time for Andre. When he asks me to do something, Thanks for asking, that's a real privilege. I felt that way.

I think the event itself is unreal. Then obviously Rod Laver means a lot to all Australians, and I feel like I'm supporting that, as well.

Then sort of dips my toe in a little bit as well back into the tennis. I've been out of it for a long time. As fun as that is, I still sort of know a little bit, I feel. I just hope I can help and have a relationship with some of the guys. If I can impart any knowledge and help them with some of whatever they're going through, I feel like that could be a lot of fun.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: What type of job do you think it's going to be working with Andre? You had one of the toughest jobs in the world working with your brother, didn't you?

PATRICK McENROE: You know, it was awesome. It was great. Thomas Enqvist, who was Vice Captain for Europe with Bjorn, so he and I had a great relationship. We haven't heard who the Vice Captain yet is going to be for Europe, so I'm intrigued to hear who that is.

But, Pat, I remember some amazing matches that Pat and Andre played against each other, including here in Australia. Two of the greatest competitors and two of the classiest guys in tennis in Pat and Andre. Very different styles of play, which you guys talked about is going to be cool and kind of different personalities, too, I think.

Both of them incredibly well-respected by those of us that have played tennis and been involved in tennis. I think it's going to be unique to see. As I said, putting a guy like Pat Rafter as the right Vice Captain to me is a major step up for all involved. So I think it's great for the Laver Cup, and it's great tore tennis.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Well, we're heading to San Francisco for the Laver Cup in 2025. It's a big tennis town. They love their tennis in that area. They're into singles. They're into doubles. They're into team competition.

Have you thought about San Francisco and what you can bring to that part of the town, how good it's going to be there?

PAT RAFTER: Not really.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: We need you to.

PAT RAFTER: I know there's some really good wine around the area.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: That's for the celebrations perhaps after. How good will it be?

PAT RAFTER: Well, first of all, the event is sold out, as I understand it. So, as you said, Todd, they value their tennis there.

I don't know. I'll get a jump on the bandwagon and do whatever I can to help promote the sport and the game in the name of the Laver Cup. So that's sort of my role, I think. I'm looking forward to that.

PATRICK McENROE: Some pretty good universities out there, Todd, that have pretty good tennis programs, too. One by the name of Stanford University, which is where myself and my brother went and where Tony Godsick's son is now on the team at Stanford University.

I was hoping Basavareddy was going to stay for one more year so maybe Stanford could win it, but he's too good, and he went to the pros. There you go.

As you said, a lot of people love tennis out there. You have Cal Berkeley. You have Stanford. You have all sorts of leagues and so on. It's going to be a huge buzz for this event.

San Francisco used to have a great pro tournament for many years, and that, unfortunately, went away. So for them to get this type of event and get all the best players in the world is going to be fantastic for the area.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Finally, I would like you to just touch on the Laver Cup and the legacy that Rod has given this event and the importance. You mentioned about your link to him, Pat. Can you just explain how important he is and your link to this event?

PAT RAFTER: Well, the name obviously is synonymous with Australian tennis. We had so many great Australian players with Rod and Rosewall. We're going to miss out so many people, and Emo.

Everyone feeds off each other. Then you hope that tradition gets handed down through the generations, and certainly it was a name that was so important for me growing up.

To see Rod still around and still getting his name recognized to me I think that's probably one of the biggest draw cards for me to get involved as well as being with Andre.

I mean, I don't know if there's much more else to say except that I'm very honored to be part of this group.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Fantastic. Well, I know that Rod himself will be very happy that you've been involved. That continues what Roger Federer's idea was to make this event continue to grow, and you're going to bring a great energy to it.

We look forward to seeing you and you, Patrick, in San Francisco this September.

PATRICK McENROE: Thank you.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Thank you very much, everybody. We will take some questions, if you would like to ask some questions.

Q. Pat Rafter, is there any particular player that you've watched that you sort of feel like you might be able to sort of work with and impart some wisdom towards, or is it maybe just more general in terms of dealing with the level of tennis and the team environment?

PAT RAFTER: Well, I think that all the athletes you feel like you can work with. I mean, I don't know the guys that well, to be honest, because I haven't been around tennis for a long time. I just come here every year.

There are some players out there that are very promising, and it's up to them whether or not they want to buy into what I can offer. So hopefully the players and the athletes are there, and they want to learn a little bit, and hope that we can make that connection.

One of the most exciting kids that I saw this week could hopefully play for Worlds, whether it's this year or the next couple of years is Fonseca from Brazil. He'll be part of the World Team. I don't know if you saw him, Pat. I know you were interested in him last year.

PATRICK McENROE: Absolutely, yeah.

PAT RAFTER: He's been on the radar. That's really exciting.

Yeah, as I said, I would love to help if I can, and I would love to get to know him and see how I could help. Sometimes helping is not saying anything.

Q. Pat Rafter, we saw how much you loved Davis Cup in your career. How much do you think you would have enjoyed the Laver Cup?

PAT RAFTER: It would have been fun. I love team atmospheres and team competition because tennis you don't really have it that much. Doubles is the closest we sort of got outside of Davis Cup. I really enjoyed having a beer with your mate after you won something together. Otherwise, you win a singles, and you are slapping yourself on the back telling yourself how good you are.

Team, you get around each other. There's high fives and all sorts of things. That's what Davis Cup brought. I don't see this as being any different from what I've seen on TV with the Laver Cup. They're into it. They're off their chair. They're jumping up and down. They're passionate, and they're invested. That's what it's about.

I'll be invested, as well. I know I will. Yeah, it's a great concept, team events for individual sports.

Q. To both Pat and Patrick, is serve and volley definitely dead, or we have a chance to --

PATRICK McENROE: I think there's still a place for it. I mean, the conditions would have to change a little bit with the balls and the speed of the courts, for example, consistently, but I don't think you're going to see the type of serve and volley that Mr. Rafter played or Edberg played in his prime.

But I think volleying is just as important in today's game. Maybe not the serve and volley, but serving, setting up the point, being able to fun at the net. If these guys on Team World don't listen to Pat Rafter when it comes to positioning at the net and volleying and movement, they're crazy because he was one of the best ever to do that.

So I think volleying skills are still very important. You see it at the highest level of the game. In many instances it's actually crucial to who wins a match between these great players

As far as serve and volley, I don't see that coming back to the way that it used to be in the past.

PAT RAFTER: I think it's perfectly said, as Pat said. There are certainly opportunities. I'm sort of screaming at the TV. I see these guys create the point and the opening, and the one guy gets stretched, and you go, Mate, come to the net, come in. They won't come in. So that's one of the things I'll be pushing for. As soon as you see the opportunity, you have to take advantage of it.

Then so many of them, as Pat said, are not used to coming in that much, so they're not comfortable hitting the volley. They prefer to hit another big forehand. They do that very well as well, but there's an easier way to finish the point off.

Q. Pat Rafter, it would be remiss of me not to ask about Alex de Minaur. Firstly, the prospect of working with him, how does that excite you?

PAT RAFTER: I've spoken to Alex a couple of times, and I think there are some things that I can help him with transition to the net. He's very good. He's getting better and better all the time.

Alex is exciting, and if I can help him in any way, I might get that one week. It might flow on somewhere else. He's a kid who really wants to learn, really wants to develop his game. Yeah, and I'll be there if I can help him in any way.

Q. Just a follow-up, his chances this week, has he got the weapons to go deep, even go all the way?

PAT RAFTER: Who has he got now?

Q. Michelsen.

PAT RAFTER: I back him against Michelsen. I know Michelsen has a really big game. Can he keep it up together against someone like Alex? I think it's a bad matchup for Michelsen personally, but this guy has a really big game. If he can keep it together, he can cause a lot of destruction, I think, Michelsen. But I like Alex there.

PATRICK McENROE: Sinner next.

PAT RAFTER: Sinner after that. That's not a great matchup for Alex.

PATRICK McENROE: Not a great matchup for anyone.

PAT RAFTER: It isn't, you're right. Exactly right, Pat.

Q. I just want to do ask about something that's been a hot topic at the Oz Open, which is rowdy crowds. Just wanted to get your take on it and if you thought that the crowds had been particularly rowdy and if you like it?

PAT RAFTER: It's been like that for a couple of years. I don't know. I'm not playing. Sometimes I think it's disrespectful. Sometimes I think it's just part of the game, the transition of this generation, and that's what they want. This is the Australian Open.

Again, Pat is probably better to answer that question because he's been all around the world, seen it all, and done all the tournaments.

PATRICK McENROE: I think that it's fun in Australia. It's a place where you see people coming from all over the world, which creates a great atmosphere. Sometimes, I think, as I think Pat said it perfectly, it can go a little bit over the line.

There are traditions in tennis that are important that make tennis unique. The one-on-one, that's changed a little bit with the coaching. You have to move with the times, but I think there's something about the quiet that happens in a great tennis match that's unique.

So I think we don't want to totally lose that, while still pushing the game forward so that, as Pat said, younger people are interested. Judging by the crowds here and the crowds I've seen at the other big events, including Laver Cup, tennis is pretty darn healthy.

Q. I was going to follow up. I guess we've seen interaction between Danielle Collins and the crowd specifically here. Is that at the point of disrespectful in your opinions, or is it the point where it brings attention and drama?

PATRICK McENROE: Well, people on sports talk shows in the U.S. were talking about it, and it's pretty rare that that happens in tennis, period, particularly now with what's going on in sports with the NFL and college football.

For me obviously Danielle had every right to be enjoyed. I thought it was sort of humorous how she handled it. She obviously paid the price a little bit last night getting booed when she came out on the court.

So I think in some sense it's good for tennis that you have characters like that, and Danielle is a character, and she's willing to speak her mind.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Pat Rafter is a character, too, and we're looking forward to seeing him in San Francisco bringing joy to the Laver Cup.

Thank you, everybody.