"I just quit smoking, I don't want to have a heart attack" - Yannick Noah embraces Laver Cup while delivering hilarious rant to Jakub Mensik

Jakub Mensik put his team captain, Yannick Noah, through the paces in the opening day of the 2026 Laver Cup. The Frenchman showed a side of passion mixed with positive energy on the side of the court as he really relished the event, going on a rant to Mensik as his singles contest against Brandon Nakashima looked to be going the distance.

The former Roland Garros champion is using all his expertise and experience to aid his team as they look to reclaim their Laver Cup crown. After winning the first four editions, they have been able to triumph in just one of the prior four tournaments, coming in 2024.

Noah is yet to taste that winning feeling after coming into his role this time last year. It was his compatriot, Andre Agassi, who led Team World to glory. This time, Noah is determined to get it right.

Already a very popular member of Team Europe, he watched on as Casper Ruud completed a stunning comeback against Francisco Cerundolo in a thriller of a match. It went to a 10-point tiebreak, and the three-time Grand Slam champion was able to prevail 10-8.

Following that, debutant Brandon Nakashima flew out of the blocks against a sluggish Mensik. The Czech lost the first set 6-1 and had work to do. He responded in terrific fashion, breaking the American's serve en route to a 3-0 lead. Another hold made it 5-2 as he wandered back to his chair and his team.

Everyone was living up to the team environment, supporting and cheering for each other while handing out pieces of advice to the players on court. Mensik was the one in the hot seat, and Noah opted for a more relaxed and comical team talk.

"My heart, man! I'm an old man! You want me to have a f*****g heart attack? What's wrong with you, man? I'm enjoying a great point and then you do this? I'm an old man, and you know what? I just quit smoking, I don't want to have a heart attack. Come on, man, don't do this for your old friend. You can do it, you can do it. Don't play with me."

The 66-year-old's words inspired Mensik to see out the second set, but he came unstuck in the tiebreak when his opponent got Team World back level at 1-1.

There is still a lot of tennis to be played, but so far it has been a great start for Team Europe. In the evening session, debutant Rafael Jodar showed his class in a brilliant straight-sets win over Alexander Bublik. The Kazakh could manage just five games, as Jodar quickly backed up the reasons for him being included.

The fourth and final match came in the form of a doubles contest, which again Team Europe triumphed in. Mensik returned to the court with Carlos Alcaraz featuring for the first time. They worked well together to take down Bublik and Fritz in straight sets, giving them a 3-1 lead at the end of day one.

Day two will see the points on the line doubled with all to play for in London. Flavio Cobolli and Learner Tien begin the action with recent US Open champion Alexander Zverev squaring up to Alex de Minaur. A rematch between Alcaraz and Fritz will headline the evening session while Casper Ruud and Zverev partner up to face Bublik and Nakashima in the doubles contest culminating the day.