"I wouldn't mention his name in the same breath" - When Jimmy Connors refused to liken Andre Agassi to tennis greats Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe
Jimmy Connors once said that he would not consider Andre Agassi to be in the same category as some of the tennis greats like Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe.
Agassi was a precocious talent and earned a lot of success during the 1990s. However, he fell below the Top-100 in 1997 and 1998 before making a fine comeback in 1999, when he won the French Open and the US Open.
Despite his accomplishments, Jimmy Connors refused to hold Andre Agassi in the same regard as the likes of himself, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe and Pete Sampras.
"I wouldn't mention his name in the same breath," Connors told CBS.
The former eight-time champion said that Andre Agassi was not as consistently at the top of his game as his rival Pete Sampras despite the talent he possessed.
"For him to be staging a comeback at the age of 29 is not the right thing," Connors said. "There have been too many dips in his career and he hasn't been consistently at the top of his game like Pete Sampras. With his talent, he should never have allowed himself to drop out of the top four or five."
Connors' comments came at a time when Agassi was at his dominant best. The latter enjoyed an impressive 1999 season, winning 63 out of 77 matches with five titles to his name, including two Grand Slams. He finished that year as the World No. 1 -- his last year on tour being the top-ranked ATP player at the end of the season.
Andre Agassi finished his career with eight Grand Slam titles
Andre Agassi continued to produce some magnificent tennis after Jimmy Connors' comments and ended up winning as many Grand Slams as him.
Agassi won the first Major of the 21st century at the Australian Open, beating then-reigning champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the final. He successfully defended his title at the Asia-Pacific Grand Slam in 2001 by defeating Arnaud Clement in the final.
He also completed the Sunshine Double that year by winning the Indian Wells Open and the Miami Masters. Agassi won three Masters 1000 titles in 2002 while reaching the US Open final, where he lost to Pete Sampras.
The American's final Grand Slam title came at the Australian Open in 2003, beating Rainer Schuttler in the final. He went on to play until 2006, retiring after that year's US open. Agassi reached the third round of the tournament before losing to Benjamin Becker.