In Pictures: Boris Becker, Andre Agassi interact during rare Laver Cup meetup; future Team World captain poses with Roger Federer, Yannick Noah
Andre Agassi met with Yannick Noah, Roger Federer, and Boris Becker at the 2024 Laver Cup. The American is set to take over as Team World captain from 2025 onwards while Noah will assume the role for Team Europe.
Becker and Agassi have rarely crossed paths after their playing days, but the pair were spotted indulging in conversation during their rare meetup ahead of the Laver Cup. Agassi also met former French player Noah and Swiss tennis icon Federer.
Federer's management company, TEAM8, along with other partners, launched the Laver Cup in 2017 as a tennis version of the Ryder Cup. The event pits top stars from Europe against the best players from the rest of the world in a unique team format.
Each year, the tournament begins with a glamorous black carpet event, attracting famous personalities from the sports world and beyond. In 2024, Agassi, Noah, and Becker were among those walking the black carpet.
However, for Agassi and Noah, their presence had a deeper purpose as they are set to take on captaincy roles starting next year.
Since the inaugural edition, John McEnroe has led Team World while Bjorn Borg has captained Team Europe. The 2024 Laver Cup marks the seventh edition of the event and will be the final one for both McEnroe and Borg as captains. They will hand the reins to their successors after this year's event.
"I hope that Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe will return and pass on the torch to Yannick Noah and Andre Agassi" - Roger Federer ahead of Laver Cup 2024
In a recent interview with Eurosport ahead of the 2024 Laver Cup, Roger Federer opened up about how this edition of the event will be "bittersweet" considering it is the final time John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg will lead out Team World and Team Europe, respectively.
The Swiss hopes for the pair to come back and pass the torch to Andre Agassi and Yannick Noah.
“In the future, I hope that Bjorn and John will return and pass on the torch, you know, in a way also to Yannick [Noah] and Andre [Agassi] and that they will always be friends and guests forever as inaugural captains of the event," Federer said (via EuroSport).
“It's very much a bittersweet week with Bjorn and John because I would love them to be captains forever," he added.
The 2024 Laver Cup begins on September 20, at the Uber Arena in Berlin. Team Europe features Grigor Dimitrov, Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Ruud, and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Meanwhile, Team World consists of Francisco Cerundolo, Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Alejandro Tabilo, and Thanasi Kokkinakis.
There are three singles matches on Day 1 - Casper Ruud vs. Francisco Cerundolo, Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Thanasi Kokkinakis, and Grigor Dimitrov vs. Alejandro Tabilo. In the doubles match, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev will take on Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton.