COLUMN: For three days, tennis forgot it hates team sports

This weekend’s Laver Cup in San Francisco was just plain fun. And that’s not something tennis fans get to say very often about team competition. Usually, tennis as a “team sport” is a disaster. Players are too individual, too locked into their own routines, too much like lone wolves who’ve been raised to fight for every inch of space on their own. Putting them in matching tracksuits and calling them teammates usually feels about as natural as trying to turn chess into a relay race. But this weekend felt different—it was, as the title says, three days where tennis forgot it hates team sports.

Team World sweeping Saturday to take a 9–3 lead into today’s final day was great theater, but the scoreline wasn’t the whole story. It was the vibe. Watching Alex de Minaur fight through rallies while Andre Agassi and Patrick Rafter coached from the bench was compelling in a way tennis rarely manages. Even Reilly Opelka, often more tower than talker, came off like a guy that maybe you (still not me) could actually imagine hanging out with. That alone was worth the price of admission.

Agassi was the heartbeat of it all. He wasn’t some ceremonial figurehead in a polo shirt, but an actual coach—leaning in, talking through strategy, and lifting his players up. The chemistry between him and de Minaur was so natural it made you wonder if it could last beyond this weekend. Could Agassi one day help him to a Slam? After watching them together, it didn’t feel like a stretch.

San Francisco made the perfect backdrop. The dark court and dramatic lighting gave the matches an old-school prizefight feel. On TV it looked sharp and stylish, like theater with forehands. And because the broadcast let us in on the little moments—bench chatter, tactical whispers, quick smiles—it felt personal. You weren’t just watching a match; you were part of the drama.

Format deserves credit in 'pure simple fun'

The format itself deserves credit too. Europe vs. the World is simple and easy to grab onto. No gimmicks, no complicated structures. Europe still has the depth, but Team World brings a kind of scrappy energy that levels the scales. And unlike Davis Cup or the Olympics, where scheduling and politics often muddy the waters, the Laver Cup keeps it clean: three days, one rivalry, winner takes it.

What stood out most, though, was the joy. Opelka laughing. Agassi pumping his fist. De Minaur practically glowing from the energy around him. These are the kinds of moments tennis usually hides, buried under headphones and solitary routines. Seeing them out in the open, as part of something bigger than just one match, reminded us why we love sports in the first place.