'So overrated': Roddick and Agassi joke about Alcaraz ahead of Laver Cup

Friday, 19 September 2025 at 20:05

byErik Virostko

Carlos Alcaraz's name has been mentioned many times ahead of this year's Laver Cup, and it will be mentioned a few more times during the event.

Alcaraz is the reigning world No. 1 player on the ATP Tour. He is a favorite in any match he plays, except when Jannik Sinner is on the other side of the net. In that case, there probably isn't a favorite.

The six-time Grand Slam champion will compete at the Laver Cup for the second time, and he returns to the competition as a record holder. In his debut last year, Alcaraz scored eight points for his team, the most any player has ever recorded in one edition of a Laver Cup.

With such numbers, Alcaraz will be closely followed by Team World also this year, as they will all try to find a way to beat him. This year, Team World is led by new captain Andre Agassi, who has Pat Rafter serving as his co-captain.

Ahead of the Laver Cup, Agassi talked to Andy Roddick on Roddick's "Served" podcast, and obviously, they discussed Team Europe's biggest weapon, Alcaraz, as well. Agassi mentioned that seeing Alcaraz's name in any draw must make his opponents a bit scared.

"Every time you see Alcaraz's name on the draw or next to you, it just kind of makes everything in your body tense up a little bit. You know what I mean?"

Roddick is known for making light-hearted comments during his show, and he made one such in his response to Agassi. Roddick stated that Alcaraz is "overrated," something he obviously meant as a joke.

"I mean I don't know. I don't think he's going to be very good from here on out. It's like, I mean (he is) so overrated, so overrated. He can't, he has no variety. You'll be fine."

Agassi then further spoke about the Spaniard's qualities. He mentioned how he talked to Alcaraz, praising his athleticism, even though they are "enemies" during the Laver Cup week.

"I told him when I saw him earlier, Alcaraz, I said, 'you know, listen, man. I mean, for whatever it's worth, I know you're the enemy here, and I can't coach you and stuff, but you got to work on your athleticism a little bit.'"

It's quite evident that Team World has great respect for Alcaraz. At the end of the day, he was the reason why Team Europe was able to win last year's edition, and he will try to be the reason behind his team's success also this year.

The Laver Cup will be Alcaraz's first tournament since he won his sixth Grand Slam title at the US Open. He beat Jannik Sinner in the final of the New York Slam.