Team Europe defeated Team World, 13-5 at the 2026 Laver Cup.
Beating Learner Tien in straight sets, Alexander Zverev secured the win for his side. After the match, Team World captain Andre Agassi couldn’t help but roast the world number two.
“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,’ Agassi said.
Former world number one, Andy Roddick, has now reacted to what Agassi said about Zverev after losing the Laver Cup to Team Europe.
Andy Roddick says Alexander Zverev can take criticism after hearing Andre Agassi’s post-match speech
During the latest episode of the ‘Served with Andy Roddick’ podcast, the American listened back to Agassi’s speech, where he poked fun at the two-time Grand Slam champion before speaking directly to his team, who failed to win a match on the final day.
“Andre [Agassi] 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,” said Roddick.
“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 criticised him and his game, and he’ll often go, yeah, that’s accurate.
Alexander Zverev’s record since March (47-11)
|
Tournament |
Performance |
Match wins |
Defeat |
|
Indian Wells |
Semi-final |
4 (Matteo Berrettini, Brandon Nakashima, Frances Tiafoe, Arthur Fils) |
Jannik Sinner |
|
Miami Open |
Semi-final |
4 (Martin Damm Jr, Marin Cilic, Quentin Halys, Francisco Cerundolo) |
Jannik Sinner |
|
Monte Carlo Masters |
Semi-final |
3 (Cristian Garin, Zizou Bergs, Joao Fonseca) |
Jannik Sinner |
|
Munich Open |
Semi-final |
3 (Miomir Kecmanovic, Gabriel Diallo, Francisco Cerundolo) |
Flavio Cobolli |
|
Madrid Open |
Final |
5 (Mariano Navone, Terence Atmane, Jakub Mensik, Flavio Cobolli, Alexander Blockx) |
Jannik Sinner |
|
Italian Open |
Fourth round |
2 (Daniel Altmaier, Alexander Blockx) |
Luciano Darderi |
|
French Open |
Champion |
7 (Benjamin Bonzi, Tomas Machac, Quentin Halys, Jesper De Jong, Rafael Jodar, Jakub Mensik, Flavio Cobolli) |
– |
|
Halle Open |
Semi-final |
3 (Vit Kopriva, Yannick Hanfmann, Raphael Collignon) |
Taylor Fritz |
|
Wimbledon |
Final |
6 (Alexander Blockx, Valentin Royer, Marcos Giron, Jiri Lehecka, Taylor Fritz, Arthur Fery) |
Jannik Sinner |
|
Canadian Open |
Second round |
0 |
Tallon Griekspoor |
|
Cincinnati Open |
Fourth round |
2 (Cameron Norrie, Terence Atmane) |
Tommy Paul |
|
US Open |
Champion |
7 (Lorenzo Sonego, Quentin Halys, Alejandro Tabilo, Luciano Darderi, Botic van de Zandschulp, Karen Khachanov, Ben Shelton |
– |
|
Laver Cup |
Champion |
1 (Learner Tien) |
Alex de Minaur |
Alexander Zverev’s singles record since March
“I think Andre knew his audience there, and obviously when you feel good, and you’ve won two majors in the last 90 days, you tend to take a joke a little better. But then you could see him shift gears from giving s— to really appreciating the time and effort that his guys put into it.”
Zverev didn’t take Agassi’s comments to heart and was seen laughing along with the rest of Team Europe. As Roddick rightly pointed out, it’s easier to take a joke when you’re winning all of the time!
Alexander Zverev’s next task after winning the Laver Cup
Days after winning the Laver Cup, Zverev will return to ATP Tour action at the China Open in Beijing. Seeded first, the German is the favourite for the title, but who must he beat to lift the trophy?
Alexander Zverev’s projected route to the China Open title
-
1R vs Cameron Norrie
-
2R vs Sebastian Baez
-
QF vs [6] Novak Djokovic
-
SF vs [3] Alex de Minaur
-
F vs [2] Felix Auger-Aliassime
Zverev will play Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie in the first round and could then play Sebastian Baez or the home favourite Juncheng Shang in the second round.
The level of opposition will increase significantly in the quarter-finals, though. There, Zverev could play 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic. The Serb dropped out of the top 10 after losing in the first round of the US Open, but will be keen to bounce back in Beijing, where he is unbeaten.
Looking ahead, Zverev could meet Daniil Medvedev or Jakub Mensik in the semis and then Alex de Minaur or Felix Auger-Aliassime in the China Open final. Zverev has never won the China Open, although he is a three-time semi-finalist (2017, 2019, 2023).
Whether he can go all the way in 2026 remains to be seen. Zverev will begin his China Open campaign on Wednesday, September 30. He will play Norrie in the first round on Centre Court.
