LAVER CUP

September 24, 2026

Andre Agassi

Patrick Rafter

Alexander Bublik

Francisco Cerundolo

Taylor Fritz

Alex De Minaur

Learner Tien

Brandon Nakashima

Ignacio Buse

O2 Arena

Team World

Press Conference

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Good afternoon, everybody. It's a warm welcome to Team World for their official press conference.

Andre, welcome to you.

CAPTAIN ANDRE AGASSI: Thank you, Todd. Good to see you, man.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Great to see you. Let me start with you. A year ago, San Francisco, there was a little tension, uncertainty about how the role might go for you. Twelve months down the track, how is it feeling knowing that you got that first victory?

CAPTAIN ANDRE AGASSI: Oh, don't give me the victory, man. I do my part not to screw any of these guys up. You know, they're here for a reason.

But what I will say is that it was a unique experience for me, one that I wasn't sure how I'd respond to. It kind of made me realize how much intensity I lived with in my own head when I played, because emotions were my nemesis on a tennis court. So I had to keep, you know, my shit under control. Sitting on the side with all these Ferraris, not having to keep my shit under control and they still perform, it's, like, you know, I recognized that it matters to me a lot and they matter to me a lot.

So being back here with some familiar ones and getting to learn some other ones, you know, being up against a situation where maybe one could say on paper it looks one way, I say in real life it looks different.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Let's talk about Ferraris. Taylor, sitting next to you...

CAPTAIN ANDRE AGASSI: We're in Britain. I shouldn't swear, right? You guys seemed to get really quiet when I said "shit." Is that a problem?

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Probably, but we'll let that slide for you.

CAPTAIN ANDRE AGASSI: Oh, fair enough. It's a weird Tourette's thing I have. (Laughter.)

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Taylor, Ferrari, you've loved this event, you've played really well here. Tell us about your experience. Tell us why you were able to turn up and play special tennis at the Laver Cup.

TAYLOR FRITZ: I just feel like it's pretty tough not to get fired up and give it everything you have when you have all these guys on the bench going crazy for you. You've got Andre on the bench going crazy. It's so tough to not get really fired up in that type of environment, and I feel like that's always when I'm playing my best.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Would you call yourself the leader in the team?

TAYLOR FRITZ: No.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: We had those discussions with the previous press conference. Does anyone stand out in that space as a leader?

TAYLOR FRITZ: No. I mean, Andre is our captain. Andre is our leader. I definitely, probably like the oldest one here and I have played Laver Cup the most, but no, it's definitely not like that.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Talk about the oldest, let's go to you, Learner, coming in to this environment around these sorts of guys, the experience you have had so far this week, tell us about that.

LEARNER TIEN: Yeah, it's been great. I'm the youngest one here, but there are a couple of guys next to me that are here for the first time, as well.

I think it's great, you know, that I'm not the only first-timer, but I think it's also great that we have some older guys that have kind of been helping all of us out.

I just really enjoy team events. I think I play some of my best tennis in team events, so I'm very excited.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Brandon, congratulations on making the team. What was the call like? You got that late call-up. When you get it, what were you thinking? What was the response? Obviously it was a quick yes?

BRANDON NAKASHIMA: Yeah, I definitely wasn't expecting the call last minute. Obvious unfortunate Ben Shelton had to retire and get some rest.

Yeah, it was a quick yes from me to be a part of the team, to be a part of this event. It's been amazing so far. I'm really happy to be here.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Let me come to Alexander. You're a new one on the team as well. I get the feeling that this could possibly be one of the great spaces for you to really showcase your showmanship. Would you agree?

CAPTAIN ANDRE AGASSI: Careful what you encourage.

ALEXANDER BUBLIK: Well, you know, showcasing, I mean, I signed certain papers between Pat and Andre to never underarm serve here, not to smile after points, so it's really strict for me here, but I just came here to bring the good tennis and bring some laughs in.

As Taylor said in our group chat, I'm the trash-talk guy, so I'm just talking to Team Europe in case something is off.

Unfortunately, no showmanship here, as I'm not allowed due to couple of talks I had with the team captains.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: We might follow up on that later on. We look forward to that.

Ignacio, let's go down to you. You're the alternate. Talk about this experience.

IGNACIO BUSE: I mean, I'm so happy to be here surrounded by these legends. I'm ready to learn. This week I think I'm going to learn a lot from these people.

I'm here with Francisco. We are really good friends also, so we're ready to bring the heat. We're going to be loud also (smiling).

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Talk about bringing the heat, Fran, I think it was Andre that called you the Rock of Gibraltar for your team. Are they nicknaming you The Rock?

You're up first tomorrow. That's a big call. I asked Casper, did he put his hand up for that? Do you do that, or how does it work in the nomination?

FRANCISCO CERUNDOLO: No, no, I have never been called The Rock, but if Andre call me The Rock, I accept it (laughter). I will try not this year to do the chest pump and hit your chin again.

Hopefully we can bring all the heat. Not only me, the whole team being fired up. Yeah, I think it's going to be my second time starting the event. I mean, I didn't choose. It was a team. Yeah, we all chose together.

So, yeah, privileged to start the tournament tomorrow. Hopefully I can start with a victory for the team.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Alex, you've had some great results. Unbeaten in singles. Particularly last year, a couple of wins, really turned some form around. Having these two together, how do you enjoy tactically working with one of the greatest baseliners and one of the greatest net players?

ALEX de MINAUR: I mean, that's why it's so special about this event, having two absolute legends on this side of the court with you, being able to pick their brains for a whole week. And just, yeah, I thought they brought out some of the best tennis in me, and ultimately it's another team event which I thoroughly enjoy. We've got a great group of guys around us that I think we can do some serious damage.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: That whole baseline, net-rushing thing, Pat, you two brought a really great energy and balance to your first Laver Cup. How is it looking for the pair of you in the second?

VICE CAPTAIN PATRICK RAFTER: I think it looks good. Shaped up pretty well. The guys come in after a really long summer. They go all the way from French through to pretty well Davis Cup after the US Open.

So they're coming in a little bit sort of -- well, they're definitely match-ready, but I think Andre and I, it's about how do we keep these guys fresh and ready to go.

So the first few days we sit back and watch, and now it's time to start pulling the trigger. This is when Andre's energy on the court is amazing. It's unmatched anywhere. Then, as you said, the balance is with me trying to bring a little bit of calmness every now and then when we need it (smiling).

The one thing that this whole buy-in of this event, for me, when Andre asked me a couple years ago will I do it, I said, Well, let's have some fun, and that's what he said, he said, We're not going to do it if we're not going to have fun.

But what everyone has to understand in this Team World is for the last six or eight months, Andre and I talk. He calls me all the time, What's going on, who's in the team? It's how passionate he is about it.

Then when we get to the last couple of weeks, it can get explosive at times. Our conversations get really full on. What it shows is how much this guy puts into it consistently throughout the year. You think this is a one-week event, but it's not. In his head, it's just going all the time. These players have to understand that this is a big thing.

You know, it doesn't have to be a big thing for Andre, but it is, and I just love the whole passion of it. And then these guys all come in and they play and they buy in. And that's why we're here.

If we don't get that, then the event doesn't work. So far what we've seen is unbelievable what these guys put in and the way they feel about it.

That's the reason why Andre and I want to keep coming back and being with these fine young men, and hopefully we can help develop their game further on throughout the years.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Thank you, Pat.

Let's open up to the floor. If you have questions, we will get to them.

Q. I have a question for Andre. Top players especially, a lot of discussion these days how much people are playing, maybe playing too much, players getting injured and things. What are your feelings about that? Where does the Laver Cup fit into a sort of ideal schedule for you?

CAPTAIN ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, well, it's a great question, especially the second part. I always err on the side of the players.

You know, when Ben phoned me, that was his first phone call that he couldn't make it, and there's no player that's calling you a day before or week before that's calling you with good news, I can assure you.

I said to him, Ben, before you even say anything, I need you to know that nothing matters more to me than my players, and that's not just for Laver Cup but for their career.

I charge myself with the responsibility of hopefully again allowing them to be who they are without interfering with it first, and then maybe giving them something that they can take on with them. I think overall, the game's gotten way more physical. Courts and balls like these are sort of the most brutal form of the sport, and these guys still go out there and put themselves through it.

I think that they cover more real estate than, you know, Pat and I ever really had to do in our day, and as a result, you know, they're rewarded with swinging real heavy at balls, because the harder you swing, it seems like the more control you get, given the conditions and how things have sort of played out on some of these events, even on the grass.

So when I look at that kind of wear and tear and you look at a situation like Alcaraz who goes out four-and-a-half months because of a wrist, you know, the only surgery I had in my life was on my wrist, and you only have one of them, at least, you know, the side you need as a player.

So you have to be really diligent on making sure your schedule fits your objectives in this game, and it would be my hope that an off-season of some relative form of security for both the players but also for the fans to really look forward to the game, coming back, every sport has it.

And these guys are going full stop, because you think they just step out there and do what they do, but, you know, when everybody goes home, they go into the rehab, training room, they're putting wear and tear far away from the spotlight of how special it is to get to see it up close.

So, yes, I do absolutely err on the side of -- there are a lot of times in life where, it's a metaphor for life, where less is more, I think in a lot of cases tennis would benefit from that.

Where the Laver Cup fits, I think this is a fantastic event, and I'd hate to see the compromise ever come on an event like this that is hosted under such a magnificent name and person that none of us would be here today without, you know, in this game, so this wouldn't be the place I would choose to cut some edges, but I would like to see these awesome athletes, you know, always be at their best. I think everybody wins with that.

Q. Another one for you, Andre. I will follow up on Mr. Bublik's comments, but as a captain's pick, talk about what you saw in him as a player but also as a personality.

ALEXANDER BUBLIK: Yes, please.

CAPTAIN ANDRE AGASSI: So to give you a peek into my mind, it's pretty darn simple in some respects, very complicated in others. But from a simple perspective, I think to myself, if I was that person, what would I expect from myself, what would I consider maximizing to be.

I don't believe in overachieving and underachieving. People can use those words, but it's pretty simple in tennis. How is somebody overachieving if they achieved it? Because they went out there and they did it. And how is somebody underachieving if they didn't do it?

The thing I have to answer in my own head when I look at players is are they maximizing, and are they making decisions that lend towards maximizing everything they're capable of over a long period of time, not just the high end of a match or high end of a great tournament or a couple great weeks or a great year.

When I look at Sascha, I look at a guy and say, If you give me his game, I'm sorry, I'm not maximizing unless I'm having a say at the end of a lot of tournaments.

Q. As a personality, he's...

CAPTAIN ANDRE AGASSI: Well, I'm getting a chance to experience that firsthand now. I do like his smile. It does light up a room. I don't like his chip forehand return, but he only did that twice today.

ALEXANDER BUBLIK: And I got shit for it, to be honest. (Laughter.)

CAPTAIN ANDRE AGASSI: No, I think tennis, listen, everybody brings a different strength to the game, and you could make a lot of arguments for his versatility and unpredictability as being a significant asset and, you know, weapon on a tennis court.

But there's a lot to be said for controlled aggression when your body blows can hurt a player and you're not even taking a risk with the swing. So somewhere in between that pendulum is his answer.

So when I look at him, I try to remind him that, you know, while you can live in a high-wire act and get away with it, it only speaks to how good you are. Let's also remember there are six other ways to win a tennis match.

Once you experience winning it in a way that doesn't make you always have to be 100%, right, these guys are 100% three times a year, but what most of these guys are are 100% of whatever percent they are every time they step on a tennis court, right? That's what you have to be in your mind as a player.

When I see somebody who's trying to be perfect when it's not necessary, I'd just like them to remember how good they are, and so my hope is that he can take that respect from me.

Q. A question for Alex. Will you hope that some of the British crowd will be on your side this weekend?

ALEX de MINAUR: Well, it would be nice (smiling). Obviously this is a place where it feels like home. I've spent a lot of time. It's brought some great memories, and hopefully, yeah, I get a little bit of the crowd support even though we're technically playing away from home. Hopefully I get a little bit of love and this team gets a little bit of love.

It's going to be a very fun weekend of tennis, which I think we're all very much fired up and ready to go for.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Well, on that note, thank you for all of the insights, Team World. We wish you the very best of luck. You're all done, so can you get back to rehabbing it.

CAPTAIN ANDRE AGASSI: I behaved. I only said "shit" three times. (Laughter.)

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Thank you, Andre. Thank you, everybody. Best of luck to Team World.