Patrick Rafter Named Team World vice Captain for Laver Cup

The energy of a full-throttle Casper ruud practice session filled San Francisco’s Chase Center on monday as the media met new Team World Vice Captain Patrick Rafter, alongside Laver cup CEO Steve Zacks, and Golden State Warriors President and COO Brandon Schneider.

“One of the reasons why the players love to play the Laver Cup is because they get to be mentored by these legendary captains,” Zacks stated, highlighting Rafter’s impact. Rafter’s elegant serve-and-volley style secured him back-to-back US Open titles in 1997 and 1998,and the world No. 1 ranking in 1999.

“Laver Cup is a place that welcomes a lot of the greats to come back, to have new roles,” Zacks added. “We’ve got players from the past,current stars,and the young generation all coming together.”

Rafter, 52, was personally selected in january by fellow International Tennis Hall of Famer and Team World Captain Andre Agassi, a former rival. They competed against each other 15 times on the men’s tour between 1993 and 2001, with many matches taking place in Grand Slam tournaments. (agassi leads the head-to-head record, 10-5.)

“it’s been engaging for me to get to know Andre on a personal level a little better,” said Rafter, wearing a red jacket. “What I love about him is his passion.He is so into this event. It’s game on.”