Andre Agassi was beaming. The eight-time major champion was seated at a high-top table in the player garden at the U.S. Open two weeks ago talking about a small beaded choker necklace made for him by his son, Jaden, more than 20 years ago when the toddler was 4 years old.
The black paint on the beads, which still say “Daddy Rocks,” has worn off, and the rope chain and clasp broke a while back, but Agassi still refuses to take the necklace off except to demonstrate how impenetrable the new clasp is.
The necklace is but a symbol of the devotion Agassi feels toward the people, and causes, he cares most deeply about. One of them is the Laver Cup, for which he is the new captain of Team World at the eighth edition of the event at the Chase Center in San Francisco, which begins on Friday.
Yannick Noah leads Team Europe, taking over for Bjorn Borg, who captained the first seven Laver Cups. Agassi has replaced John McEnroe. The assistant coaches are the former world No. 1 and two-time U.S. Open winner Patrick Rafter for Team World and the four-time Wimbledon semifinalist Tim Henman for Team Europe.
It has been nearly two decades since Agassi bid farewell in an emotional speech following his final loss at the 2006 U.S. Open. Since then, the four-time Australian Open and two-time U.S. Open champion has largely retreated to his Las Vegas home with his wife, the 22-time major winner Stefanie Graf, to raise their two children and fortify his eponymous charter school and educational foundation.
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The post The Laver Cup Returns for the Eighth Year, Now With New Captains appeared first on New York Times.
