"Pretty sure he would be even able to beat Rafael Nadal" "Got fed up with pickleball" - Andre Agassi's latest tennis drill delights fans
Andre Agassi began the new year back on the tennis court, and tennis fans could not be more happy.
Agassi is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. He retired from the sport in 2006 with eight Grand Slam singles titles to his name as well as an Olympic gold medal. The American remained involved on the ATP tour even after retirement, and coached several top-ranked players. Agassi was part of Novak Djokovic and Grigor Dimitrov's coaching teams between 2017 and 2020.
In a video recently shared on Instagram, Andre Agassi reminded the tennis world that he hasn't lost his touch. The high-voltage backhand rally was the American legend's first hit of 2024.
"First hit in over a year. Maybe I could have done something in this 🎾 game…," Andre Agassi captioned the Instagram post.
Tennis fans were over the moon to see Agassi back on the court, and some opined he could have won a few more Grand Slam titles if he had started his career a bit earlier. Others claimed he would beat current stars like Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek in a match, and that he has the best backhand of any American on the ATP tour.
Some fans also joked Agassi must have gotten fed up with practicing pickleball and so decided to return to the tennis court.
"Damn..it's kinda insane to think that 55 year old Agassi can literally smoke everyone in this sub 6-0 6-0 probably within an hour," one fan posted on Reddit.
"Pretty sure he would be even able to beat Nadal now. Self fulfilling prophecy," said another.
"The last American who could actually hit a backhand………," a fan joked.
"Shame he got into tennis so late. Could have won a couple of tournaments if he'd started earlier," wrote a fan.
"Clearly, he has got fed up with pickleball," another fan said.
Here are some more fan reactions to Andre Agassi's latest tennis practice:
Andre Agassi to team up with wife Steffi Graf at Pickleball Slam 2
Andre Agassi has picked up pickleball in recent years, and will appear at the second edition of the Pickleball Slam alongside his wife and former WTA World No. 1 Steffi Graf. The Pickleball Slam 2 will be played on February 4, 2024, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The winning team will be awarded $1 million.
The Pickleball Slam 2 will also feature John McEnroe and Maria Sharapova. McEnroe and Agassi participated in the inaugural Pickleball Slam held last year too; Agassi partnered with Andy Roddick and went up against McEnroe and Michael Chang.
At Pickleball Slam 1, McEnroe defeated Agassi 15-13, 16-14, and Roddick beat Chang 15-10, 15-10. In the deciding doubles tie, Agassi and Roddick emerged victorious 21-15, 21-23, 12-10.