Bill Simons
San Francisco
No Ben Shelton, no Tommy Paul, no Frances Tiafoe, no Captain McEnroe. No problem.
Simply put, today was the most dazzling day in California tennis history. Team World brushed away the fact that Europe has seemed to dominate tennis since the Pleistocene Era, had five Top 25 players on their roster and a 3-1 Day One lead. An Australian demon, Alex de Minaur, an Argentine cannon, Francisco Cerundulo, and a California comet, Taylor Fritz, battered Team Europe with flair, confidence and a “take that” certainty.
The Europeans were dazed: “What hit us?” The No. 1, No. 3 and No. 11 players in the world, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev and Holger Rune, were all humbled in straight sets. Was Team World on a sugar high? Or was it that they were magically channeling the infectious wisdom and enthusiasm of their rookie coach, Zen master Andre Agassi? In any case, they’d clearly taken to heart Agassi’s mantra: “We’re in the Warriors’ house. Let’s play like warriors!”
After de Minaur had used his blazing speed and uncanny court coverage to down the often hapless Zverev, 6-1, 6-4, and Argentinian Cerundulo had punished Dane Rune 6-3, 7-6(5), came the crown jewel of the day.
As Steph Curry watched in amazement, Taylor went through hoops. Sure, he’d never beaten the transcendent Alcaraz. And his Wimbledon semifinal loss to the Spaniard still stung. But playing in his home state for a genius coach, in front of 18,064 “Gee, I didn’t know tennis could be this exciting” fans, Fritz played sublime tennis. Patient but not cautious, he hit out with conviction, served brilliantly and suffered only ten errors. The 6’ 5” Rancho Santa Fe native with great tennis genes pulled off a deft drop shot lob combo to score an early first-set break, and didn’t look back. Alcaraz, who is so used to playing in front of adoring crowds, seemed to be taken aback by the pro-Fritz howls of delight. It was as if the Warriors had just downed the Lakers in overtime.
And when the surprisingly fleet Fritz ran down one of Carlos’ patented drop shots and scored a winner, an observer in section 126 captured the spirit of the moment: “OMG – Taylor’s on fire. That was ridiculously good tennis.”
Time and again, the wavy-haired Californian upped the pace of his rally ball and made sure Carlos didn’t take the initiative, running the usually dominant Spaniard to the corners, demanding that tennis’ most imaginative player come up with answers. He didn’t. Fritz’s play sank Yannick Noah’s ark.
Taylor told the elated, flag-waving crowd, “I knew what I had to do. The question was if I was going to be able to do it…The other three times I played Carlos he’s broken me in the first game – that’s not how you want to start, against someone like him. So, getting out of that first game was huge, and then just playing a lot of the big points with conviction. I didn’t second guess myself, I didn’t play too safe, I played with no fear on a lot of the big points.”
Was this win bigger than his triumph over Rafa Nadal to win Indian Wells, or his run to the US Open final? Well, Fritz said, “I take more pride in this. I won and I made it happen. I played an amazing match. So it’s not the win itself, it was the level I played at.”
And the makeshift team of de Minaur and Alex Michelsen also soared and played at a high level as they continued Team World’s assault. They were both rude and ruinous to Casper Ruud and Holger Rune, winning 6-3, 6-4 to give Team World a rather inexplicable 9-3 lead.
But Taylor Fritz, the man with the high tennis IQ, said it all: “I’m happy to get the win tonight. But on Day Three is when it really matters.” To win the Laver Cup, Team World still has to win two of the four matches to be played Sunday.
WHO KNEW BUTTERFLIES GOT BLISTERS? Pat Rafter described one of Carlos’ dropshots as landing “like a butterfly with blisters on its feet.”
STAR POWER: Forget the Royal Box. The US Open ain’t that hot. Tonight the Laver Cup featured the most wondrous player in tennis history, Roger Federer, the best shooter in basketball history, Steph Curry, the man who’s carrying tennis these days, Carlos Alcaraz, the most charismatic American star of the century, Andre Agassi, and America’s No. 1 player, Taylor Fritz. Taylor later said, “It’s hard not to be pumped up when that’s the introduction to a match.”
NOT CHEAP: Reportedly, lower bowl Laver Cup tickets were going for $7,821 for tonight’s session.
A MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH: I’ve been to about 361 tournaments, and the Laver Cup is the first one that offers a bike valet.
CURRYING FAVOR: Not only is the Chase Center said to be “The House That Steph Built,” not only are there about 47 pictures of Curry around the stadium, even at this tennis event, lots of people wore “30” gear (Steph’s number). Plus the media restaurant today featured green masala curry.
A SHORT HISTORY OF SHORT PEOPLE: Alex de Minaur is not really short, it’s just compared to so many others that it seems that way. These days, on the tour, where 6’ 5” blasters are the norm, de Minaur lifts high the banner of ordinary folk who are less than gigantic. In the tennis world of power and dominance, undersized, or shall we say diminutive, warriors have long inspired.
At Wimbledon, 5’ 4” Sonay Kartal declared, “I am a proud, short person.” De Minaur’s legendary fellow Aussie, Ken Rosewall, was 5’ 7”. France’s Fabrice Santoro, 5’ 10”, was a wizard. Rod Laver is 5’ 8”. Michael Chang and Spain’s David Ferrer, one of the best players to have never won a Slam, are both 5’ 9”. For years, Diego Schwartman, at 5’ 7”, was the best player out of South America.
More often than not, these stars have imaginative, sometimes counterintuitive nicknames. Rosewall was known as “Muscles,” Laver was “Rocket,” Santoro was “The Magician.” David Ferrer was called “The Little Beast,” de Minaur is called “The Demon,” and Diego Schwartzman is known as “El Pique,” or Shorty.
But today, when Team World dearly needed a boost, world No. 8 de Minaur was hardly short on talent. Never mind that his foe, German Alexander Zverev, is No. 3, has an Olympic Gold medal, had the most singles wins in Laver Cup history, had a commanding 8-2 winning record over de Minaur and is said to be the best player to have never won a Slam. And, yes, he’s 6’ 6”.
But The Demon, who reached the US Open quarterfinals and won in Washington, was on fire. His start was as fast as the court was slow. Speed, anticipation, mean slices, dashes to the net, touch volleys – he seemed to have it all. He chased down everything in the Chase Center and seemed to be playing the role of David while Sascha was a frustrated, racket-tossing Goliath, falling 6-1, 6-4.
After his win, de Minaur referenced three icons. Speaking of Roger Federer, who was in the stands, he said, “Roger wrote the playbook, I just read it.” As for his captains, he said that his fellow Aussie, Vice Captain Pat Rafter, provided great calm and told him not to miss a volley. Captain Agassi proposed that he not miss a return, and dove deep into the art of all-court play: apply constant pressure, make him hit “a million balls,” find angles and use your speed – not only to retrieve, but also to “cut corners” and get to the net.
The Demon got Agassi’s point. He was demonic.
CHASING THE DREAM AT CHASE: Wandering the hallways of Chase Arena reveals beauty, well-guarded havens and small scandals. Looking out a huge window, we see the West’s most famous bay, with massive freighters and white sails above lovely boats. The hills to the East seem serene. Inside, the arena is an array of elite enclaves: The Legends Club, the Vantage Club, the United Club and the Ultra Club. But we were gutted when we were told that the restaurant Hot Dog Bill didn’t serve hotdogs – what a scandal. Not to worry. The guacamole at Tacolicious is only $12.50 and the Elysian Brewing Company does serve tall ones.
JUST WONDERING: Has there ever been a more animated sideline tennis coach than Andre Agassi?
IT SHOULD BE ILLEGAL: Fans exiting the stands as a key tiebreak is about to be played.
Also reporting: Vinay Venkatesh
