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Andy Roddick Reacts to Andre Agassi's Remarks About Alexander Zverev at the Laver Cup

At the 2026 Laver Cup, Team Europe overcame Team World with a final score of 13-5. Alexander Zverev clinched the victory by defeating Learner Tien in straight sets.

Andre Agassi’s Take on Zverev

Following the match, Team World captain Andre Agassi took a playful jab at Zverev, the world number two. Agassi said, "Congratulations, Sascha, on a crazy year. Seeing you win [a Grand Slam] for the first time, I know how important that was to you, and it was important to me too, because I could start listening to your press conferences again. You weren’t like, ‘Waah, why do I always lose? Why am I the third best in the world? I suck.’ But then you win, and it’s like, ‘I’m only a one-time Slam champion; I’ve got to do it again.’"

Andy Roddick Responds to Agassi’s Comments

After the loss, former world number one Andy Roddick weighed in on Agassi’s remarks during his podcast Served with Andy Roddick. He noted Agassi’s ability to quickly shift from teasing Zverev to motivating his own team. Roddick said, "Andre has an unbelievable ability to shift gears very, very quickly. He can go from kind of roasting Zverev to having a very heartfelt moment to his team. His team loves playing for him; by the way, there is no doubt about it."

Roddick also reflected on Zverev’s reaction to criticism: "Say what you want about Sascha, and obviously there are a million different opinions. In my experience, if you go after him, he normally receives it well. I’ve criticised him and his game, and he’ll often go, ‘Yeah, that’s accurate.’"

Zverev’s Performance Since March (47-11)

  • Indian Wells: Semi-final, 4 wins (Matteo Berrettini, Brandon Nakashima, Frances Tiafoe, Arthur Fils), lost to Jannik Sinner
  • Miami Open: Semi-final, 4 wins (Martin Damm Jr, Marin Cilic, Quentin Halys, Francisco Cerundolo), lost to Jannik Sinner
  • Monte Carlo Masters: Semi-final, 3 wins (Cristian Garin, Zizou Bergs, Joao Fonseca), lost to Jannik Sinner
  • Munich Open: Semi-final, 3 wins (Miomir Kecmanovic, Gabriel Diallo, Francisco Cerundolo), lost to Flavio Cobolli
  • Madrid Open: Final, 5 wins (Mariano Navone, Terence Atmane, Jakub Mensik, Flavio Cobolli, Alexander Blockx), lost to Jannik Sinner
  • Italian Open: Fourth round, 2 wins (Daniel Altmaier, Alexander Blockx), lost to Luciano Darderi
  • French Open: Champion, 7 wins (Benjamin Bonzi, Tomas Machac, Quentin Halys, Jesper De Jong, Rafael Jodar, Jakub Mensik, Flavio Cobolli)
  • Halle Open: Semi-final, 3 wins (Vit Kopriva, Yannick Hanfmann, Raphael Collignon), lost to Taylor Fritz
  • Wimbledon: Final, 6 wins (Alexander Blockx, Valentin Royer, Marcos Giron, Jiri Lehecka, Taylor Fritz, Arthur Fery), lost to Jannik Sinner
  • Canadian Open: Second round, 0 wins, lost to Tallon Griekspoor
  • Cincinnati Open: Fourth round, 2 wins (Cameron Norrie, Terence Atmane), lost to Tommy Paul
  • US Open: Champion, 7 wins (Lorenzo Sonego, Quentin Halys, Alejandro Tabilo, Luciano Darderi, Botic van de Zandschulp, Karen Khachanov, Ben Shelton)
  • Laver Cup: Champion, 1 win (Learner Tien), lost to Alex de Minaur

Roddick on Agassi’s Speech

Roddick thinks Agassi knew exactly how to address his audience, especially since Zverev had won two major titles in the previous three months. He observed, "I think Andre knew his audience there, and obviously when you feel good, and you’ve won two majors in the last 90 days, you tend to take a joke a little better. But then you could see him shift gears from giving s— to really appreciating the time and effort that his guys put into it."

Zverev laughed off Agassi’s comments along with the rest of Team Europe. As Roddick pointed out, it’s easier to take jokes when you’re winning so much.

Zverev’s Next Challenge: The China Open

Shortly after his Laver Cup success, Zverev will head to Beijing to compete in the China Open. Entering as the top seed, he is the favorite to win but faces a tough path ahead.

  • 1st Round: vs Cameron Norrie
  • 2nd Round: vs Sebastian Baez or Juncheng Shang
  • Quarter-final: vs Novak Djokovic (seeded 6)
  • Semi-final: vs Alex de Minaur (seeded 3) or Daniil Medvedev/Jakub Mensik
  • Final: vs Felix Auger-Aliassime (seeded 2) or Alex de Minaur

Zverev has yet to claim the China Open title despite reaching the semi-finals three times (2017, 2019, 2023). He will kick off his campaign on Wednesday, September 30, facing Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie on Centre Court.

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