"Andre Agassi wrote of how lonely he found tennis... I'd have preferred his kind of loneliness" - Former ATP player Conor Niland
Former ATP player Conor Niland has revisited an incident he witnessed during his playing days that involved Andre Agassi. In hindsight, Niland has reflected on how Agassi found tennis lonely, as the eight-time Major champion himself has confessed in his autobiography. However, according to Niland, he would have liked to experience the former World No. 1's loneliness, based on what he took away from the incident.
In his prime, Niland was the Irish No. 1. However, throughout his career, he could never really establish himself as a top player on the ATP Tour. The Irishman's highest singles ATP Tour ranking was World No. 129, which he achieved in 2010. In doubles, he went only as high as World No. 770, another achievement from the same year.
Recently, Niland himself wrote an article titled ''I'm Good, I Promise': the loneliness of the low-ranking tennis player', which was published by The Guardian on Thursday, June 27. In one of the article's passages, he recalled seeing Agassi at an ATP Tour event in San Jose, California. At the time, Agassi was surrounded by the tournament's organizers, but despite the company, Niland noticed a "vacant gaze" in the American's eyes.
Next, the Irishman saw that Agassi asked a member of his entourage to fetch him some water, despite a fridge full of water bottles being a stone's throw away. According to Niland, the American only took a sip of the water before moving on with the organizers. The Irishman reflected on how Agassi wrote about the loneliness he felt in tennis in his autobiography. Niland believes that he could have done with the "loneliness" he saw that day in his career.
"Agassi later wrote in his autobiography of how lonely he found tennis. I understood what he meant, of course – I found it lonely, too. But remembering the sight of him besieged by help in San Jose, I think I’d have preferred his kind of loneliness," Niland wrote in The Guardian.
Andre Agassi talked about the "biggest controversy" of his autobiography earlier this year
Agassi appeared as a guest on The AO Show podcast earlier this year, where he talked about how the very first page of his autobiography stirred controversy. The page contains the former World No. 1's following admission.
"I play tennis for a living, even though I hate tennis, hate it with a dark and secret passion, and always have."
Reflecting on the admission, Agassi told The AO Show:
"For me, it started with my brother obviously because I turned pro at 16 years old. And I had a real disconnect with the game. I mean, it’s no surprise to anybody because the biggest controversy of my book came on page one, where I talked about hating tennis. So, it’s not a love-hate, it kind of was a hate love. It took me a long time to come to terms with myself, to understand myself."
Agassi called time on his illustrious career in 2006 following persistent problems arising from multiple health complications. His career's final match came in the third round of the 2006 US Open, which he lost to Benjamin Becker. Agassi received a heartfelt farewell from the crowd in attendance at Flushing Meadows and even delivered a retirement speech.