"If there was a fire in my house, I would grab the gold medal": When Andre Agassi compared his Olympic triumph with his Wimbledon victory
Andre Agassi once said it was tough to separate his Wimbledon triumph and Olympic gold medal.
Agassi is the only man from his nation to win an Olympic singles gold medal, attaining the feat at Atlanta in 1996, defeating Sergi Bruguera in the final. The victory came four years after he won his first Grand Slam title at the 1992 Wimbledon Championships, beating Goran Ivanisevic in the final.
In a post-match interview in 1997, the American was asked whether his Olympic gold meant more to him than the grass-court Major triumph.
Agassi said it was difficult to separate the two wins because of what they represented. However, he added that if his house caught fire and he could grab just one thing, he would go for the medal.
"You know, it is tough to separate the two. Because of what they represent. I mean, accomplishing the pinnacle in your sport versus being a gold Medalist, you know, they are really two entirely separate things," Agassi said.
"One has to do with tennis and one feels like it has nothing to do with tennis. If there was a fire in my house and I could only grab one thing I would grab the gold medal, I think. It is up in my house," he added.
Andre Agassi won eight Grand Slams throughout his career
Andre Agassi enjoyed a sensational tennis career in which he won eight Grand Slam singles titles.
The first of these came at the 1992 Wimbledon Championships, and the American then won his maiden US Open title in 1994 with a triumph over Michael Stich in the summit clash. He followed this up with his maiden Australian Open win in 1995 after defeating rival Pete Sampras in the final.
Agassi completed the Career Grand Slam in 1999 by winning the French Open after a five-set win over Andrei Medvedev in the title clash. That year, the American also won the US Open, beating Todd Martin in the final.
Andre Agassi won three Grand Slams in the 21st century, all at the Australian Open. He won the 2000 edition of the Melbourne Major by beating then-defending champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the final. The American successfully defended his title in 2001 by triumphing over Arnaud Clement in the title clash.
Agassi's last Grand Slam came at the 2003 Australian Open, where he beat Rainer Schuettler in the final.