Former French Open winner Yannick Noah was on Wednesday named as captain of Team Europe at next year's Laver Cup in San Francisco.
The 64-year-old Frenchman will replace Bjorn Borg who has skippered squads consisting of players such as Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal at the tournament which began in 2017 to commemorate the career of the Australian tennis legend Rod Laver.
“I am truly honoured to have been asked to take on the role as Team Europe captain,” said Noah. “I’ve been out of the game for a while, doing my music, but I am really excited for this new adventure.
"I might have mellowed a bit now, but the competitive side of me is alive forever."
The three-day competition, which will take place this year between 20 and 22 September, pits six of the best male players from Europe against six of their counterparts from the rest of the world.
Three singles matches and a doubles tie are each played on day one and day two. The third day starts with the doubles match and the singles matches follow if necessary.
Each match win is worth one point on the first day, two points on the second day, and three points in the final ties on the third day.
The first team to 13 points claims the cup. A winner-takes-all doubles match is played if the score is 12-12
Noah’s appointment – a week after Andre Agassi was anointed captain of Team World – came on the fourth day of the French Open in Paris where Noah enjoyed his greatest success as a singles player.
Success
In 1983, he beat the defending champion Mats Wilander in the men's singles final to become the first Frenchman in 37 years to lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires.
No other male compatriot has emulated the feat.
Noah retired in 1996 boasting a career peak ranking of world number three – the highest achieved by a Frenchman – and a trophy cabinet of 23 singles crowns and 16 doubles titles.
While reinventing himself as a musician, he has taken charge of the France squad for the Davis Cup and steered the team to victory in the men's team competition in 1991, 1996 and 2017.
In 1997, Noah also captained the French women's team to success in the Fed Cup
“I love team competitions," added Noah. "And the emotions they bring. It will be great."
Noah will attend this year’s Laver Cup in Berlin to prepare for his new duties under Borg's guidance.
“I can’t think of a better person to take over this role than my good friend Yannick,” said Borg.
“He is a great champion, leader and person and I’m sure he will enjoy being part of this great competition as much as I have."
Borg has confirmed that Nadal will feature with Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev in his 2024 side.
McEnroe's team will parade Alex de Minaur from Australia as well as the American Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul.
