LAVER CUP

September 27, 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

A. ZVEREV/L. Tien

7-6, 6-3

Team Europe - 13

Team World - 5

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Team World. Commiserations.

Andre, let's start with you. Critics of the Laver Cup sometimes question the competitive intensity of the tournament. What would you say to that, and how proud have you been of your team this week?

CAPTAIN ANDRE AGASSI: I'm so sorry, but I literally didn't understand what you just asked.

THE MODERATOR: Critics of the Laver Cup sometimes question the intensity of the competition.

CAPTAIN ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, they needed to be here then (smiling).

THE MODERATOR: If you could just tell us what you would say to that.

CAPTAIN ANDRE AGASSI: I mean, come on. You're watching these guys die out there. They're showing more heart than sometimes I see in other real environments with things on the line.

I mean, they're there for each other. I couldn't be prouder of it. I wish I had more of them in me.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

Taylor and Alex, you've both got plenty of Laver Cup experience, and you've tasted victory before. This weekend, Team Europe clearly fed off the energy of the home crowd here at the O2. How much of that was a factor, do you think, in those tight tiebreak matches?

ALEX de MINAUR: Yeah, look, I think we were pretty close. I mean, when you look at yesterday, we won two supers and lost one with Taylor playing an epic match. I mean, could have been a completely different Day 3 had we gotten Taylor's match or even the doubles.

Yeah, we were very close. We were up against it. From the get-go, we were the underdogs, but we put in a hell of a fight.

Yeah, it was just a couple points here and there. Could have changed the whole tie.

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, I mean, to be honest, I don't think the crowd was that tough. I thought the crowd was pretty fair, to be honest. I think it's more just being the away team.

They get to pick matchups on Day 3, so I think being in a position where going into Day 3, we need to win three out of the four matches when they get to pick the matches. It's just a tough ask.

Yeah, like Demon said, I think Day 2 was a big opportunity for us, in my match with Carlos and then the following doubles, to win either one of those and then give us a look to just win two matches today, which would be much more doable.

THE MODERATOR: For the tournament newbies, Learner and Alexander and Brandon, even though the result didn't go your way, what was the biggest takeaway for you? And how was it having legends like Andre and Pat coaching you from the bench?

BRANDON NAKASHIMA: Yeah, it was amazing. The team atmosphere and the environment, you know, which we all get to play in with so many tennis legends a part of, and having all these guys' support on the bench, it's unlike any experience I have had before.

Yeah, I'm really thankful to everybody. Only positive things to take away.

IGNACIO BUSE: Well, I want to thank, first of all, Andre and Pat for having me on the team. I think I learned a lot. I'm going to work hard to try to be here next year, but yeah, I think this was a week that I watched so many things out of the court, learned a lot, of course, also about how these legends think also and how they see tennis. So I learned a lot this week.

But, yeah, I'm so happy, because all the teammates gave it all out there, and yeah, we tried to bring the energy, but we really enjoyed this week.

ALEXANDER BUBLIK: Well, definitely was a crazy experience for me. I always watched Laver Cup, you know, for the past editions. I always thought this was more like a fun even, an exhibition, but when I get here, to be honest with you, I never cared more than winning this one. I never cared as much in a quarterfinal of a slam than the doubles that I played yesterday, to be honest.

That's true, and I think it was a great experience for me being next to Andre and Pat, being next to the colleagues that I play all the time together, being in the same team, supporting each other, so it was hell of experience for me.

LEARNER TIEN: Yeah, I mean, I always watch this event every year. I always think it's a really cool event. I always wanted to play. I'm really happy I got to be a part of it.

It's really unique playing on a team in tennis. I'm just grateful I was able to experience it this year with Pat, Andre, and all these guys.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Andre, I know you wanted to win this one, but in a way, I'm sure you're happy for Yannick. You've gotten to know him a little more the last couple of years, to be around him. Just talk about what kind of person he is.

CAPTAIN ANDRE AGASSI: He's like the enemy. What are you talking about (smiling)?

No, seriously, he's always been a great guy. He's one of those players and personalities in our history of our sport that I wish there wasn't such a generational gap between us, although we played a couple times. I think I was too young for him to be interested in spending much time with me. I always wanted to spend more time with him. The past couple of years gave me a chance to do it.

He's one of the kindest spirits you'll ever meet. Yeah, you know, honestly, we don't spend a lot of time together.

When you see these teams and the way they go about their work, especially when they're staying at different places and what have you, it's truly -- you come here and you put on your hard hat and bring your lunch pail, and you start laying the bricks to the foundation of the narrative you're going to tell over the next three days, which is basically hell on earth as far as what's asked of these guys, especially on that surface, which is so unique in so many ways to anything these guys have to deal with throughout the year. The wear and tear is epic.

Yeah, so I still wish me and Yannick could spend some more time together.

Q. Andre, for those of us who have followed tennis for many years, we're aware of your changing relationship with the sport. Many of us have read your autobiography. Having had a number of years away from it, have the last two years as captain of Team World revitalized or in any way changed your relationship with tennis?

CAPTAIN ANDRE AGASSI: Well, I mean, respectfully, if you're reading my book, you should read it a little closer, because I never talked about a love/hate relationship with tennis. I always talked about a hate/love with it.

So I was blessed enough to go from the top of the sport to 140-plus in the world, to climb myself back again, but to do it on my terms for my reasons, which is all the work I'm doing in my foundation and built 130 schools since I started it. That gave me a lot of reason to be out there and gave me a lot of opportunities to offset many tough memories that I have had on the court, starting with my childhood.

So as a result, you know, watching these guys and in some ways their innocence and in some ways their clarity, but one thing for sure is they want to be out there, they want to be competing, and I love seeing that the whole time.

Q. A question for Pat and Andre. With the benefit of hindsight, is there anything you could have done differently this week?

CAPTAIN ANDRE AGASSI: I mean, hindsight, what the hell, right? I'm sorry for going philosophical on you, but I don't spend much time in the past or the future.

So, you know, you make your bets on your team. You hope they give it everything they've got. You believe in them. You want the best from them. And you're trying not to screw up anything, first and foremost. And I think we got that.

If I were to look back in hindsight, I'm not regretful. I mean, the ball could fall here or ball could fall there. Taylor's serve on match point up, that thing, how close was that? You know, there were some epic battles out there that I think everybody -- I think the sport won.

VICE CAPTAIN PATRICK RAFTER: Yeah, "hindsight" is not a fun word, but yeah, I guess there are moments, you know, throughout the thing where we had a couple of weeks leading in and you lose a couple of players.

We were so lucky we had Francisco come in and Nak to come in and fill those spots, which was awesome. The issue we had then, we had a little bit of opening in other areas of the game which we thought we had covered within our team.

No offense, Fran, but your doubles is not the greatest I've ever seen. Hell of a bloke, though, hell of a player, tennis player. (Laughter.) But yeah, we sort of lacked a bit of variation when we came to putting our doubles teams together. But the guys filled the spots beautifully, and as Andre said, one or two points here and there. The boys fought to get to that position. If a bit more luck went our way, all of a sudden, we're in the driver's seat.

Q. Tough luck, guys. One for Taylor. This is probably the most blatant example of on-court coaching. I was wondering, you were quite critical about it when it was allowed on a wider scale this year. Is this an advert for it being introduced on a wider scale beyond the Laver Cup?

TAYLOR FRITZ: No, Laver Cup is a team competition. That's all there is to it. I have never been against coaching in a team competition.

Sports that are teams makes sense. Tennis is an individual sport. So outside of this and outside of any other team competitions, I don't think someone should be able to tell what you to do.

Q. Taylor and Alex, when you look at the positives of a week like this, do you look at tennis or do you look at more things off the court?

TAYLOR FRITZ: I don't look at -- it's probably different for Demon, because he won his match the other day, but for me, I don't take too much positives out of it. You know, I contributed zero points.

Yeah, I had a good match yesterday, but at the end, I still lost, and that's all that really matters at the end of the day, if you win or lose.

It is what it is, and I'm just motivated to come back and do better next year in L.A.

Q. A question for Andre. You've now captained twice: Once in America and now in the U.K. I just wanted to ask --

CAPTAIN ANDRE AGASSI: If you don't mind, Demon?

ALEX de MINAUR: I'm okay.

CAPTAIN ANDRE AGASSI: Sorry.

Q. You have now captained one tie in America and one tie in Europe/U.K. What's the difference between in terms of the event and the atmosphere, would you say, having a home and away tie?

CAPTAIN ANDRE AGASSI: I mean, I think like Taylor said, the crowd, I never feel like they're a factor. I think sometimes it can even help you when they're kind of pulling against you.

For me, I still have to process a lot, right, but at the same time, what I can say is here things were logistically achievable. They had two courts, so that changed a whole different dynamic. We could walk back and forth to the hotel, so less time, because these are long, long days and stuff.

But then the downside is you've got to deal with Team Blue all the time. I'm not a fan of that when the environment is designed to be, you know, against each other.

So, you know, yeah, I would also say that, you know, the scheduling of the weekend, as Taylor mentioned, is very crucial to make sure that you can line up the right situation on the day that offers the most opportunity, which is obviously Sunday. So that is a brutal advantage, and we still almost overcame it.

Talked about the first day, and first day, they were pretty lucky they weren't down let alone us breaking out even. These guys did a lot with a little, and yeah, but I'd rather play at home.

Q. I have a question for Taylor. So you are one of the more experienced members of the team, and you've come to the Laver Cup multiple times. What is it about this tournament that makes it so special from other tournaments for you to keep coming back?

TAYLOR FRITZ: Just the energy, like the environment of getting to play with a team is so much fun, because it's something that you don't really do often in tennis. You know, that feeling of playing for the team, cheering for the guys, kind of coming together for something that's not just for yourself is a lot of fun.

I think the moments of, like, winning and getting to celebrate, it's so much better when you have a group of people that are feeling the same thing you feel when you're celebrating.

Q. Pat mentioned, Andre, this is a year-round thing, you're talking to each other via text, talking about team makeups all year long. How long till you send your first text to him for next year?

CAPTAIN ANDRE AGASSI: Listen, I think we talk about a lot of things via text, stuff that I would never share here (smiling), but what I will say is, yeah, a lot of thought does go into it.

But it's a long year, and a lot changes towards the end. I feel bad for these guys with how hard they work and the schedules they have to go through. They're going to do this again in two days, you know, on the other side of the planet. It's nuts.

So, you know, I worry about their health, and I watch them closely throughout the year, because, first of all, I care about them, and secondly, you're trying to be as helpful as possible, right?

So our first few texts, we'll be probably giving each other a little shit for some oversights or where we can accept a little responsibility in this unfortunate result. But slowly, next year it will rev up again, assuming we get lined up to do it.

VICE CAPTAIN PATRICK RAFTER: I will be getting a text in the next couple of days, I can tell you. He'll be right onto it.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you very much, Team World.