PARACHUTE IGNORED, AGASSI AND TEAM WORLD DIVE IN

In his first few days on the job, newly hired Team World captain Andre Agassi, nearly two decades after he hit the last ball of his professional career at the 2006 US Open, is approaching his new gig with the same dogged determination that earned him a bronze plaque on the walls of the Newport Casino, home to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Back when he was dictating play along the baseline, swatting full-stretch forehand winners on the run, there was always something to focus on, immediate goals. He had what he likes to call “the perception of control.” (There’s a reason why singer/actress Barbra Streisand once dubbed Agassi a ‘Zen master’.) In his new role, the Las Vegan is learning to let go of some of that control and just react in a dynamic, ever-changing environment.

“Coaching is about what somebody hears, not what you say. It’s learning about people, about players, in real time,” he said this week at San Francisco’s Chase Center.

That ears-open approach is already making an impression on his roster, which includes Americans Taylor Fritz, Reilly Opelka and Alex Michelsen, and Aussie Alex De Minaur, 19-year-old Brazilian sensation João Fonseca, and Argentine Francisco Cerundolo.

“Andre is such a legend of the game. You always hear so much about him,” said the 6-foot-11 Opelka, who’ll open the Day 1 action against Casper Ruud. “The consensus is that he’s just this incredibly nice human being and incredibly intelligent. This is my first time really getting to interact with him. He gives back to the game and is happy to spread knowledge. He’s just been a great asset for tennis and especially American tennis.”

“He has a very unique mind, and he’s helped me a lot with my return this week. He had an average return, I guess,” said Michelsen, a tongue-in-cheek dig on a player who is widely considered amongst the best returners of all time. “He’s helped me a ton. Clarity, conviction, lots of wisdom. I’m super pumped to get fired up for him tomorrow.”

“I think the most important thing is to understand how they process. We all work so differently,” said Agassi, who’ll be assisted by vice-captain Patrick Rafter, a former world No. 1 who captured back-to-back US Open titles in 1997 and 1998. “That’s going to be so important to understand in real-time what they’re looking for — information, clarity, focus, energy.”

“It’s hard to parachute in these guys’ lives and act like you know everything. I don’t.” — Team World captain Andre Agassi

“Everybody responds differently. I’ve had a chance to talk to a few of their coaches as well. It’s hard to parachute in these guys’ lives and act like you know everything. I don’t. I’m trying not to interfere with what they already do so great that gets them here in the first place. Trying to learn is the first role of being the captain. The only thing I’m clear about is what I don’t know. What I don’t know is what I’ve never experienced.”

It’s been a double bonus for the US Open quarterfinalist De Minaur, who’s getting some elite tutoring from some of the game’s most legendary figures, his countryman Rafter included.

“It’s great to be here, to be a part of an amazing team, and obviously to be able to pick Pat’s brain,” said the 26-year-old from Sydney, ranked No. 8. “I’m very excited to be a part of Team World with these amazing competitors and to pick not only Pat’s, but Andre’s brain. It’s epic, right? You don’t get these opportunities often.”

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