‘ALL-IN’ TEAM WORLD CAPTAIN AGASSI DELIGHTS IN MAKING A DIFFERENCE

It sure didn’t take long for Andre Agassi to settle into his new role as Team World captain.

Only a few hours after his arrival at San Francisco’s Chase Center, host to Laver Cup 2025, the International Tennis Hall of Famer was out on the court tutoring team alternate Jenson Brooksby. In between groundstrokes, Agassi, animated, demonstrative, would step in and offer advice, buzzing with the same kind of quick-walk energy he showcased in his prime on the ATP Tour.

It’s not a bad deal to get some free tips from an eight-time Grand Slam champion.

“I know his personality and how into the game he is. I wasn’t surprised by that,” said Brooksby afterward. “But it was very cool for me to get some input from him, to take some advice from him and have him on the court. It’s great for me, because he sees the game so well.”

“He’s pretty detailed,” added Brooksby, who was raised just up the road in Sacramento, Calif. “For example, on the returns, I think he’s very good at giving you things you can focus on that are very repeatable. I’ve always liked to think that way, too. He’s very good at finding those things. He gives you solutions. I feel like I clicked with him pretty well.”

The 55-year-old Agassi, the winner of 60 career titles, including an Olympic gold medal, has long possessed one of the sport’s most inquisitive minds. The Las Vegan has dipped his toes into the coaching world before, briefly aligning with the likes of Novak Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov and, most recently, Holger Rune. But even Agassi says he’s surprised by his fervor for his new role.

“It’s like jumping out of an airplane; you just kind of go with it. You’re all in. I’m all in.” — Team World Captain Andre Agassi

“I am a little bit,” he admitted on Tuesday. “Everything in my life tends to have a bit of conflict to it. Part of me wants to get involved; another part of me says, ‘Can I really take it on and do it well?’ I hold myself to the standard of making sure I can do it to the best of my ability. So I go through my process leading up, but then once I’m here, it’s like jumping out of an airplane; you just kind of go with it. You’re all in. I’m all in.”

Not willing to commit to a full-time coaching position, one that would require year-round travel, Agassi might have found a perfect fit in the Laver Cup.

“That’s more of a bandwidth decision, right?” said Agassi, who took over from countryman John McEnroe. “I love connection with people. I love when a little bit of my efforts can make a big difference in someone’s game, career, life. When I engage with a player for days or potentially weeks, my phone’s always open, we’re constantly in contact. That’s achievable for me, but traveling, taking up weeks and weeks and weeks — I just don’t have the bandwidth. I have too many things to be focused on. This is an event that has so much. It’s been built up so much over the years, and makes it very achievable. That allows me to do it.”

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