How does it feel when you get to meet your childhood idol and share the space with them? For American ATP star Taylor Fritz, the upcoming Laver Cup will provide the opportunity of a lifetime, and why not? The 2024 US Open finalist and World No.6 is all set to receive the best possible tennis expertise and unparalleled guidance from a man who’s been an icon of the racket sport, an eight-time slam king and former No.1 American ATP legend. When he steps into the Chase Centre this week alongside Fritz, the 2025 Wimbledon semifinalist will look forward to learning as much as he can.

Fritz is part of Team World at the 2025 Laver Cup, which is set to take place in San Francisco. The NBA team Golden State Warriors’ home arena, Chase Centre, will host the eighth edition of this event. Team World’s main target will be to clinch a third trophy and catch up to Team Europe’s current tally of five. More than that, however, Fritz is simply thrilled to be playing under the roof of his team’s Captain who happens to be none other than Andre Agassi, “Andre Agassi is someone that I think a lot of us American guys looked up to for a very long time, and I looked up to when I was a kid, so I’m really excited to get the chance to be on court with him and play under him,” reported the tournament’s website on September 17.

The 27-year-old added, “I’m very excited to get the chance to pick Andre’s brain.” He recalled that “Some people made some jokes that we might not get a lot of practicing done with all the talking that we might be doing, but I’m really excited for the opportunity to be on court and work through that process with him,” concluded the World No.6.

Guess what? The connection between Agassi and Fritz goes deeper. While Fritz has expressed admiration for the 55-year-old veteran, the latter previously reprimanded him. While his Wimbledon run this year was amazing, Fritz did something in the semis against Carlos Alcaraz that irked Agassi, who was on commentary duty. In the second set, Fritz attempted a tweener/hotdog shot (from between his legs) but Alcaraz managed to earn a point off it.

After witnessing Fritz’s unsuccessful attempt, Agassi became furious. “If I was his coach I would’ve fined him a hundred bucks for trying a tweener there,” he said while doing commentary. However, the eight-time slam king wasn’t too harsh on Fritz. After his loss against Alcaraz, despite strong efforts, he had a special message for Fritz.

Andre Agassi lauds Taylor Fritz’s impressive run

Taylor Fritz’s Wimbledon campaign this season was nothing short of a dream. For the first time in his career, he made it to the semis at the All England Club. Initially, he looked unstoppable due to his dominating, fighting spirit that outshone in all of his matches. However, Alcaraz proved to be just too good for him. The six-time slam winner eventually beat the American with a scoreline of 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(6).

While Fritz was saddened by the heartbreak, Andre Agassi tried to lift his spirits. He knew that the youngster gave his all on the court – no matter the outcome. Expressing deep admiration for his campaign at the grass major, Agassi wrote, “Taylor, well done. You are paving the way for every American to believe they can and should expect more from themselves.”

The former world no.1 added, “You are a hell of a competitor. You deserve every bit of this. You are going to get your chances if you stay with it.” Also appreciating Fritz’s support staff and coaches’ efforts behind the scenes, he wrote, “Congratulations to Mike Russell and Paul Annacone. Keep making good decisions, keep being who you are, and I can’t wait to watch more of you,” as reported by The Tennis Gazette back in July.

Now that Agassi and Fritz are all set to team up at the Laver Cup, it will be intriguing to see how they shape Team World’s journey this year. Do you think a third trophy is in the cards? Let us know in the comments below.