Andre Agassi holds foul-mouthed press conference and issues ban to Laver Cup star
It took just two questions for Team World captain Andre Agassi to swear for the first time at his press conference ahead of the 2026 Laver Cup. The American then patted himself on the back for only saying “s***” three times when speaking ahead of his team’s title defence at the O2 in London. Eight-time Grand Slam winner Agassi skippered Team World to victory in San Francisco in 2025 and will aim to repeat the trick with a youthful team on the other side of the Atlantic. Before the action got underway in the UK, though, the 56-year-old was quick to joke about the need to watch his language after a relaxed start to his team press conference.
“It kind of made me realise how much intensity I lived with in my own head when I played, because emotions were my nemesis on a tennis court,” Agassi said when discussing how his new role differs from his playing days. “So I had to keep my s*** under control. Sitting on the side with all these Ferraris, not having to keep my s*** under control and they still perform, it’s, like, you know, I recognised that it matters to me a lot and they matter to me a lot.”
After noticing a reaction to his choice of language, however, he tried to dial it back. “We’re in Britain. I shouldn’t swear, right?” the American added. “You guys seemed to get really quiet when I said ‘s***’. Is that a problem?”
Agassi’s squad is youthful, with none of his players over 29. Alexander Bublik is the oldest in the group, but the Kazakh is making his Laver Cup debut.
Bublik is known for his eccentricity and personality on the court and said he has been given some ground rules by Agassi and vice-captain Pat Rafter. “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,” he said with a smile.
As Taylor (Team World team-mate Taylor Fritz) 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.
Bublik will play both singles and doubles on the opening day of Laver Cup action on Friday. Brandon Nakashima will also be involved, having accepted a late call-up after US Open finalist Ben Shelton pulled out.
“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,” Agassi said. “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.”
Agassi made the case for a proper off-season to ensure that, when players to step out on court, they’re giving the best side of themselves to fans and viewers. He added: “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.
