Laver Cup Practice Session Excites Fans – Especially Young Ones

by Kelley Busby

WorldTennisMagazine.com Contributor

The stars, or shall we say, the balls aligned Thursday for two of the youngest tennis fans attending the Laver Cup practice session in San Francisco. Asher Peterson, age 11, and Matteo Corrales, age 9, both from Redding, Calif., traveled over four hours with their families to catch some of their favorite pro players practicing, not realizing the other was seated nearby. 

Music from the DJ was pumping and Taylor Fritz, Alex Michelson, Reilly Opelka and Alex de Minaur were honing their doubles play, with Team World captain Andre Agassi and vice-captain Patrick Rafter standing close by, assessing the action and, at one point, changing the pairings, with de Minaur looking particularly sharp. 

Precisely at 1pm, Team World’s session concluded and Fritz and company launched balls popcorn-style into a crowd of about 5,000. After a fumble by a woman who was simultaneously eating her nachos, Matteo gleefully snatched a ball launched by Fritz, and soon after, silver buzz cut and all, world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz joined in. 

The six-time major singles champion had quietly slipped into a courtside seat, looking relaxed snapping photos of the action, and soon delighting fans like Asher with multiple ball launches into the 19,000-capacity Chase Arena. Asher’s “catch” was actually a near miss until a young man in the next row back thoughtfully handed him the prized ball from his idol, Alcaraz. These avid young players (Asher: “I played 6-8 hours/day this summer and want to turn pro someday.”) were so giddy with excitement they surely will convince their parents to buy tickets to the main event, which starts Friday, September 19th at 1pm PST. 

Tickets for the actual competition, however, run at a much higher price point, starting at $200, versus just $30 for the practice session. The Laver Cup has been offering these practice session tickets since 2022, with proceeds going to local charities. Just two days ago, legend and co-founder of the Laver Cup Roger Federer, along with Team Europe’s Captain Yannick Noah, helped unveil the six resurfaced public courts in nearby McLaren Park, paying it forward with annual legacy grants, which are a vital part of its mission. Dozens of tennis-loving kids like Asher and Matteo joined Federer for a clinic and photo-op on the new courts, surely sparking an increased love for the game in this great city by the Bay.