'Share some with your brothers, for God’s sake': Andre Agassi takes lighthearted dig at Carlos Alcaraz after Laver Cup triumph

Former world number one Andre Agassi has a word of advice for current world number one Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz. The two were part of the opposite teams in the recently concluded Laver Cup. Agassi was the captain of the winning Team World whereas Alcaraz played matches for Team Europe.

The competition ended on Sunday with Team World winning the title for the third time. The final score of the competition was 15-9 in favour of Team World. On the first day, Team Europe started brightly and finished the day with a score of 2-1. On the second day, Team Europe made a grand comeback and won all four matches. On the final day, four matches were played. In the first match, which was the doubles encounter, it was Alcaraz and Denmark’s Holger Rune who came out on top against the pair of America’s Alex Michelsen and Reilly Opelka in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 6-1.

In the second match, Australia’s Alex de Minaur restored Team Europe’s lead after beating the Czech Republic’s Jakub Mensik with a score of 6-3, 6-4. In the third match, Alcaraz managed to keep Team Europe in the contest as he defeated Francisco Cerundolo in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-1. In the last match of the competition, America’s Taylor Fritz, who, a day earlier, defeated world number one Alcaraz, produced another masterclass and this time defeated world number three Germany’s Alexander Zverev with a score of 6-3, 7-6.

Agassi, as a team captain, spoke after the match before the trophy celebration, where he shared a piece of advice for Alcaraz. Agassi joked that Alcaraz should not be ‘greedy’ for more Grand Slam titles and share his wisdom with his ‘brothers’ in Team Europe who are finding it hard to secure major titles. Agassi also went on to praise Team Europe’s players.

"Carlos, don’t be so greedy with all the Grand Slams,” joked Agassi. “Share some with your brothers, for God’s sake. I want to say to Team Europe, it is such an honour to sit on the side of the court and watch you guys do what you do. It is remarkable and I love every second of it. And I wish you the brightest futures."

Incredible triumph

The piece of advice from Agassi comes at a time when Alcaraz, less than a month back, became the youngest player to win six Grand Slam titles in the Open era, by overtaking his idol and countryman, Rafael Nadal. He defeated the then world number one and defending champion, Italy’s Jannik Sinner, in the final of the US Open with a score of 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.

The victory for Team World at the Laver Cup was not only because they managed to beat a star-studded lineup, but also because they were playing with three big-name American players, Ben Shelton, Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe. Agassi was aware of the task his team achieved in the competition, and he shared his admiration for the players, as well as the vice-captain, Patrick Rafter. Agassi thanked the players and the coaching staff for ‘trusting’ him and stated that the players who gave their all for him on the court now have the ‘mother privileges’, meaning that they can ask him for anything and the answer will always be ‘yes’.

"Pat, it was an honour to be back with you," said Agassi. "This is a guy that I loved competing against as even if I lost, the sport won. You are an amazing dude, amazing athlete and a better person. And to the rest of you, it has been one hell of a week. Thank you for the trust, thank you for allowing me in your lives for a brief period of time. I say you have ‘mother privileges’ in my life now and what mother privileges means is you call, you ask, and the answer is yes before you ask."