"Don’t think anyone who cares about tennis could have missed that match" - When Andre Agassi spoke on Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal Australian Open final
Andre Agassi claimed that the 2017 Australian Open final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal was a match where one would have wished for no loser to emerge.
Federer and Nadal both had injury layoffs in 2016 but produced some brilliant tennis to reach the final in Melbourne. The two played out a thrilling match at the Rod Laver Arena, with the Swiss winning 6-4. 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in three hours and 38 minutes to win his 18th Grand Slam singles title.
Andre Agassi spoke about the match in an interview with Guardian in 2017, stating that no one who cared about tennis could have missed it. The American also claimed that while he was neutral, seeing Federer win at the age of 35 was special.
"I don’t think anyone who cares about tennis could have missed that match. I was as neutral as possible because they’ve both given so much and have great stories. Of course seeing Roger win at that age was special. He never ceases to impress me but he’s stopped amazing me. I expect it from him," Agassi said.
The American also heaped praise on Rafael Nadal, stating that he didn't expect the Spaniard to carry on playing at a high level due to the physicality he put into his career. He also claimed that the match was one where one wished there wasn't a loser.
"And Nadal persevered through so much adversity and with people writing him off. I didn’t believe that with the amount of physicality he’s put into his career he’d ever get his game back to that level. He certainly proved me wrong. It was a beautiful match and one of those times you truly wish there wasn’t a loser," Agassi added.
Andre Agassi faced both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal during his career
Andre Agassi managed to face both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal despite being towards the end of his career when the two were on the rise.
Agassi locked horns with Federer on 11 occasions, with the latter leading 8-3 in the head-to-head. They faced one another in three finals, with the American triumphing at the NASDAQ-100 Open (now known as the Miami Open). Federer won the other two title clashes between the two, triumphing 6-3, 6-0, 6-4 at the Tennis Masters Cup in 2003 while winning 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(1), 6-1 at the 2005 US Open.
Agassi and Nadal faced one another twice, with the Spaniard winning both fixtures. The first encounter between the two came in the final of the 2005 Canadian Open (then known as the Rogers Cup) which Nadal won 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. They then locked horns in the third round of Wimbledon in 2006 where the King of Clay triumphed 7-6(5), 6-2, 6-4.
This was Agassi's final appearance at the grasscourt Major as he retired from tennis after that year's US Open.