Bill Simons
San Francisco
The Laver Cup has descended on San Francisco like a thunderbolt. Pop-up events and well-polished glitz are everywhere: iconic photos by the Golden Gate Bridge, gala dinners, community celebrations, fans squealing at Reilly Opelka’s 140-mph serves and the appearance of Señor Alcaraz after he visited Alcatraz.
Everyone knows that the Chase Center is “the house that Steph built.” By week’s end, the 18,064-seat arena may be known as “Carlos’ Casa.”
The Laver Cup is not your grandfather’s tennis tournament. Years ago, Barry MacKay’s Transamerica Open reigned. It was held in the Cow Palace. The bovine odors were curious. The players were strictly old school. Ashe, Nastase, Borg, McEnroe, Connors and Lendl all came to town for what now seems like a quaint affair. San Francisco society types were on full display. Insiders delighted at the sight of icons Don Budge and Alice Marble.
But the dazzling Laver Cup is at a whole other level. Packed press conferences, open practice events, giggly fan zones and pizzazz to the max. Goodness – play hasn’t even started, but already it’s a bit overwhelming.
Here are five takeaways from the Laver Cup:
- THE GRANDEUR OF ROGER FEDERER: What other athlete could have come up with a transformative event like the Laver Cup? Decades ago, Wimbledon champ Jack Kramer was an adept promoter. Billie Jean King’s entrepreneurial chops have long been celebrated. But, with his agent, Tony Godsick, Federer conceived an event that’s in its very own lane.
For years he played the Laver Cup himself. After his last match, he held hands with his greatest rival, Rafa Nadal, and provided one of the most poignant moments in tennis history. Now, whether in a modest park in the San Francisco outback, at a black-tie gala, at the Chase Center or having dinner with Stanford’s players, his aura is all over.
- THE FEEL-GOOD MAGIC OF CARLOS ALCARAZ: The 22-year-old Spanish conquistador is amazing. He seems poised to take over this game. It’s not just that at every stop his hairstyle grabs our attention: urban chic at Roland Garros, buzz-cut at the US Open and now a trim bleached look to die for. His French Open win over Jannik Sinner still resonates. His Laver Cup coach, Yannick Noah, said it was the best match in tennis history. Carlos confided that the key to his stunning comeback was belief. He never doubted he’d win.
Agassi put Alcaraz’s play into perspective, saying, “We’ve come off of a generation with Novak, Roger and Rafa, and if you take the best of what each of them do, it’s like it’s turned into one person.”
The American legend then detailed Alcaraz’s astounding talents. “He can defend like Novak. He has soft hands and feet like Federer, and he can generate RPMs and pace like Rafa. And you’ve got speed – offensively and defensively. You’ve got the passion that keeps him fired up the whole time. He kind of has the whole package. The thing you have to hope for is that he gets too creative out there. You hope he crosses that line every now and then to give you some hope.”
- THE SINGULAR GENIUS OF ANDRE AGASSI: Decades ago, Barbra Streisand said her friend Mr. Agassi was a zen master. There were howls of derision – “You gotta be kidding.”
But not so fast. Young American Alex Michelsen spoke of Andre’s clarity, his vision, his wisdom and his “very unique mind.” Clearly, Team World has already been inspired by Andre’s conviction and energy. Agassi said, “The first rule of engagement is to do a lot of observation. I remind myself that everyone has two ears and one mouth…I don’t want to get in the way. I can help at the margins of a player’s game.”
He added, “San Francisco is a great city, but hasn’t had a great tournament for a long time. The city has its warriors, the Golden State Warriors. We have our own warriors. And that’s our goal: to live up to the Golden State’s name.”
- THE RADICAL HUMANITY OF YANNICK NOAH: Yannick Noah doesn’t follow tennis that much. He’s barely met Carlos Alcaraz, but he is a tennis man apart. The 65-year-old, who won the 1983 French Open, still jokes like a kid. Today he quipped, “I’ve been on the job for three days, and I still haven’t been fired.” Yet, he’s quick to get serious. When asked about the development of tennis in Africa, he noted, “Tennis is too expensive. We have our other priorities in Africa: eat food, health.”
Noah always inspired us when he spoke of the big picture. He asked us, “Who is saying ‘Let’s make all this a little quieter?’ Who’s there to lead us and say, ‘Okay, let’s just have peace.’ How about enjoying each other’s differences? All I hear is how different we are.”
When asked about being in San Francisco, which, believe it or not, was once the home of the counterculture that wanted to leave the rat race behind and smell the flowers, Noah said, “I read a lot about it. I always wished I was born a little bit earlier so I could have been at Woodstock and got to hang out with Jimi Hendrix. I love that thing, living in community, sharing, and, at the end of the day all you need is love around you.”
- THE NICEST SACK OF CRAP IN THE GAME: Team World Vice Captain Patrick Rafter is the nicest sack of crap in tennis history. After he won the US Open in 1997, I asked him “Is winning your first Slam going to change you?” He laughed and said “No, I’ll be the same old sack of crap.”
Monday I revisited our dialogue and asked him, “Are you still the same old sack of crap?” He smiled and replied, “No. I’m worse.” He added that he’s now living on an Australian ranch and mows a lot of grass.
We first met 21-year-old Patrick here in the Bay Area when he was mowing down a lot of foes 31 years ago, enroute to winning his first key title, a Challenger in Aptos. He remembered that it was a key steppingstone in his career.
Six years later, on Lenglen Stadium at the French Open, the highly ranked Aussie met some Swiss upstart few had heard of. It was 17-year-old Roger Federer’s first Grand Slam. Rafter’s countryman Lleyton Hewitt warned him, “Be careful, the kid’s good.” Right on cue, Federer took the first set, before losing the next three. Rafter recalled that Roger was then soft and raw, but then, just two years later, his greatness became apparent.
Rafter himself would go on to lose one of the most fabled matches in tennis lore, the 2001 Wimbledon final. He fell to Goran Ivanisevic on People’s Monday, when, due to rain, any lad off the street could buy a cheap ticket to see a Slam final.
We won’t dwell on the fact that Rafter was No. 1 in the world for the briefest time of anyone, and perhaps the best serve and volleyer this side of Stefan Edberg. Far more important is that the mellow, appealing Aussie is one of the nicest guys in men’s tennis history. Some say he’s the ATP’s answer to the WTA’s sweet Kim Clijsters.
– Vinay Venkatesh also reporting
