Oh Captain, My Captain: Andre Agassi, Yannick Noah return to lead teams at 2026 Laver Cup originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
After Andre Agassi led Team World to an upset victory over Team Europe at the 2025 Laver Cup, he gave a memorable speech during the trophy ceremony.
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“I say you have mother privileges now in my life,” he told his six-man team in front of the Chase Center crowd in San Francisco. “So what ‘mother privileges’ mean is, you call, you ask and the answer’s yes before you ask. I would go to battle for each and every one of you, anywhere, anytime. Love you guys.”
Agassi will again go to battle for Team World at the 2026 Laver Cup. It will be his second time serving as captain, and it is clear he immersed himself in the experience and the competition the first time around.
For Team Europe, Yannick Noah will also return as captain for his second year at the Laver Cup. The former French Open champion will head a European contingent that is favored to take the cup back at London’s O2 Arena from Sept. 25-27.
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Andre Agassi backs Team World
Agassi has admitted he was skeptical about the Laver Cup prior to attending the 2024 event in Berlin. He didn’t know about the level of intensity and competition from the players. When he saw it up close, he was ready to be John McEnroe’s replacement as World captain.
When he arrived in San Francisco, the eight-time grand slam champion was on the court constantly during warm-up sessions with his players, trying to learn from them and figuring out how he could help without overloading them.
“I didn’t want to miss one second on the court (this week), because the slightest thing that a player does kind of can expose or sort of suggest how they process and how they think,” Agassi said. “I just always want to be ready to absorb what they may be feeling, or maybe say something that might not be so relevant, but it might be important for me to see if that’s something they respond to. Learning, just doing a lot of learning.
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“The first job is not to get in their way. I mean, it will be hard to convince me that I play enough of a role that I’m gonna do any winning out there. But I think I could screw it up. That’s how I look at it. I could help them. I could distract them. You earn respect. You don’t demand it.”
Agassi’s vice captain Patrick Rafter will also return to Team World. The Australian, too, admitted he was a bit skeptical prior to experiencing the event. But he made sure at the closing press conference in San Francisco to say how much he appreciated the experience.
“We’ve got guys from all around the world playing, and what struck me most was the buy-in from the players,” Rafter said. “Everyone was pumped up to win it. It was pretty seamless.”
MORE: Laver Cup coming to Los Angeles in 2027
Carlos Alcaraz, Yannick Noah
Noah leads Team Europe
Noah was more laid back than Agassi both during practice sessions and the matches, but he was still in it to win it. Noah has experience both as a very successful Davis Cup captain and Billie Jean King Cup captain, and there is no question he will have his team ready to win in London. Five of the six players who played in San Francisco return, so there will be some motivation.
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Noah said he enjoyed the spectacle and opportunity to lead his team at the close of last year’s 15-9 Team World win that saw three sellout crowds over three days.
“I didn’t realize how intense these games were, how fun it was for me,” Noah said. “There’s such a connection after four days. It feels great. Of course, our DNA is the game. When we play well, we bond. That’s what it’s all about.”
Great Britain’s Tim Henman will also return for Year 2 as Team Europe’s vice captain.
Andre Agassi career bio
Agassi was initially the second player in the Open Era to win a career Grand Slam, joining Rod Laver by winning the French Open in 1999.
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Four players have joined that pair since — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.
Agassi is one of three players to win all four majors and Olympic gold — a Golden Slam — during his career alongside Nadal and Djokovic.
His eight grand slam titles include four in Australia, two at the US Open and victories at the French Open and Wimbledon.
That propelled the American to world No. 1 for 101 weeks, helped by 60 ATP titles, which included 17 Masters triumphs, and three Davis Cup titles.
Yannick Noah career bio
While Noah doesn’t have the same playing accolades of Agassi, he is still a grand slam champion, having won at the 1983 French Open.
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He was the last Frenchman to win at Roland Garros, and his victory in 1983 made him the first home player to achieve the feat since 1946.
Noah reached a career-high ranking of world No. 3, and across his two-decade career, he won 23 singles and 16 doubles titles.
He also captained France to Davis Cup titles in 1991, 1996 and 2017, while also leading his nation to their first Fed Cup triumph in 1997.
2026 Laver Cup rosters
Team Europe
(No. 2) Alexander Zverev, Germany
(No. 3) Carlos Alcaraz, Spain
(No. 9) Flavio Cobolli, Italy
(No. 13) Rafael Jodar, Spain
(No. 18) Jakub Mensik, Czechia
(No. 20) Casper Ruud, Norway
Yannick Noah, Captain
Tim Henman, Vice Captain
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Team World
(No. 7) Alex De Minaur, Australia
(No. 9) Ben Shelton, USA
(No. 10) Taylor Fritz, USA
(No. 15) Learner Tien, USA
(No. 16) Alexander Bublik, Kazakhstan
(No. 21) Tommy Paul, USA
Andre Agassi, Captain
Patrick Rafter, Vice Captain
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