The way Andre Agassi's brain works is quite unique, I've never really seen it in a tennis player: Former coach Darren Cahill
Andre Agassi's ex-coach Darren Cahill recently praised the former World. No. 1's meticulous thought process.
Cahill started working with Agassi when the latter was 33 years old. Despite many considering Agassi a player whose best was behind him, Cahill worked with him from 2002 to 2006 and achieved immense success.
The Australian guided Agassi back to the top of the ATP rankings, making him the then-oldest tennis player to be ranked World No. 1. Cahill also helped Agassi clinch the Melbourne Major in 2003.
In an episode of The Big Deal - Australian Sports Business Podcast, Cahill shed light on his experience of working with Agassi.
"The way his [Andre Agassi] brain works is quite unique and I've never really seen it in a tennis player. He will ask 50 questions about a certain player and about what they do and what their tendencies are and how much spin is going to be on the ball? Will they put the weight on the back leg? Will it be on the front leg? If I hit this certain type of shot, what would the reaction be? Will he slice, will he lean back? Will he play with a little bit of spin? Will I be able to attack the next ball?" he recollected.
The Australian went on to state that he had to bring his best when coaching Agassi.
"So you had to be on your game with him," he added. "He didn't have to be right, because he understood that when you get on to the court, the responsibility is the player’s. But he needed all this information so he could process it before he went out and played his tennis match."
Cahill has achieved immense success as a tennis coach, with many different players. He helped a 20-year-old Lleyton Hewitt to his first Major title at the 2001 US Open. He has also helped Simona Halep become the WTA World No. 1 and clinch her maiden Grand Slam at the 2018 French Open.
That said, working with Andre Agassi remains a unique experience for the 57-year-old.
"For me, it was a real learning curve in preparation, doing your homework, making sure that you are ready to give him the information that he needed to be able to compete the way he wanted to compete," Cahill said.
"I never really saw it as a risk" - Darren Cahill reveals how he began working with Andre Agassi
Darren Cahill began working with Andre Agassi in 2002, at a time when many thought it was a risk to work with the American as he was deemed to be on 'the downhill slide with his career'.
The Australian, however, had a different view of the situation.
"I didn't start with Andre Agassi until he was 32 years of age. And at that time he had a wrist injury and most people thought that more than likely he was on the downhill slide with his career. So it was a little bit of a risk I think going over there and starting with him. But I never really saw it as a risk," Cahill said.
Having initially joined Agassi for a short period, Cahill revealed that he did not want to talk about finances until the American was convinced of his abilities.
"He sat me down and said ‘okay, how we going to work this out, financially’ and I said, ‘I'm only here for a six week period. Don't worry about money. At the end of it, if you feel like I'm the coach that's going to help you get to where you need to go, then we can sort it out. If you're not happy with what I'm bringing then I'll be better for it.’ Because the chance to spend six weeks with the legend, I was looking forward to and he didn't let me down. He was an amazing guy, still is," he said.