Andy Roddick Comments on Andre Agassi’s Remarks About Alexander Zverev at Laver Cup
Team Europe claimed a 13-5 victory over Team World in the 2026 Laver Cup. Alexander Zverev sealed the win for Europe by defeating Learner Tien in straight sets.
Andre Agassi’s Take on Zverev
After the match, Team World captain Andre Agassi made some pointed remarks about world number two Alexander Zverev. 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
Former world number one Andy Roddick shared his thoughts on Agassi’s speech during the latest episode of his podcast Served with Andy Roddick. Roddick praised Agassi's ability to switch tones quickly, noting how he moved from teasing Zverev to delivering a heartfelt message to his team, who didn’t win a match on the final day.
"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 said.
He added, "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 criticized him and his game, and he’ll often go, yeah, that’s accurate."
Alexander Zverev’s Performance Since March 2026
- 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 Audience Awareness
Roddick believes Agassi knew exactly how his message would land, especially since Zverev had just won two majors in the past three months. He noted that winning makes it easier to take a joke. Zverev didn’t seem bothered by Agassi’s comments, laughing along with Team Europe.
Zverev’s Next Challenge: The China Open
Shortly after the Laver Cup, Alexander Zverev will return to the ATP Tour at the China Open in Beijing, where he is the top seed and favorite to win. His projected path looks challenging:
- 1st Round: vs Cameron Norrie
- 2nd Round: vs Sebastian Baez or Juncheng Shang
- Quarterfinals: vs [6] Novak Djokovic
- Semifinals: vs [3] Alex de Minaur
- Final: vs [2] Felix Auger-Aliassime
Zverev will face Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie in the opening round on Centre Court. The competition intensifies in later rounds, with a potential quarterfinal against Novak Djokovic, who aims to bounce back after dropping out of the top 10. Zverev has never won this tournament but reached the semifinals three times (2017, 2019, 2023).
The China Open campaign begins Wednesday, September 30.
