Andre Agassi
Andre Agassi
Andre Kirk Agassiis an American retired professional tennis player and former World No. 1, who was one of the game's most dominant players from the early 1990s to the mid-2000s. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi had been called the greatest service returner in the history of the game. Described by the BBC upon his retirement as "perhaps the biggest worldwide star in the sport's history", Agassi...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionTennis Player
Date of Birth29 April 1970
CityLas Vegas, NV
CountryUnited States of America
At this point in my career I have to be extremely selective about the amount of matches that I play in preparation of the US Open,
There's no matches you get through unless you're playing sensibly. You have to,
There's no weakness to speak of, ... You play a bad match against Pete, you lose 6-4, 7-5. You play a good match against Pete, you lose 6-4, 7-5. You play a good match against Federer, you lose 6-4, 7-5. You play a bad match against Federer, you lose 1 and 1.
We played once in Australia. We got done with that match and I said, 'He's a top 10 player'. He just seemed to do so many things well. He made you work for every point. I've got to believe he's only got better. I'm looking forward to a good quality match.
Getting up two sets helps a lot because a guy can play great for two hours and, in the worst case, the match is going to be even,
I broke him one time. You come out to a match like this and you hope for that at least. So you never know what to expect playing somebody you never played before. In his most difficult moments, he was more awkward than I anticipated.
Certainly coming out here for the first match in such a long time, I couldn't have expected that standard, to be that comfortable, ... I just settled in early. Sometimes you can really get too anxious and never find your rhythm and fight yourself a little bit. I trusted my legs and found a nice rhythm with my shots. Six days of practice, I'd advise it for anybody.
Let's be clear about something. I wasn't the winner, tennis was. I never felt I was going to win that match but somehow it just fell my way.
I felt as the match went on I was getting more comfortable with my movement, and that's a good thing,
What Jimmy did was incredible, ... I've heard him talk about it as if it was the most meaningful thing to him. That certainly speaks volumes with a career like that. A match like tonight can add to your life, regardless of the titles on the line.
You think you should take your chance, but then you regret not waiting a couple of more shots. As the match went on, I got real patient and waited for my opportunities and felt pretty good.
It's always a bit sad when somebody you spent so much time with over the years, played so many matches against, decides it's time for them to move on. But I'm sure he'll embrace this next stage of his life with the same standards he's shown out there for all these years.
It's a good feeling to be playing in an environment that you played so well in, and then to have a match that you've had before.
The court was playing pretty fast, it almost felt like playing tennis with golf balls out there. But I am feeling fine physically. I think need a few more matches before I can start competing better.