"When they hand me the trophy, I think about vomiting into it"- When Andre Agassi won Washington final vs Stefan Edberg after getting sick on court
Andre Agassi won 60 singles titles throughout his career, but few would be as physically challenging as his win at the 1995 Legg Mason Tennis Classic (now known as the Citi Open) in Washington.
The American entered the tournament as the top seed and reached the final following straight-set wins over Rodolphe Gilbert, Michael Joyce, Mauricio Hadad, and Todd Martin. Here, he was up against second seed Stefan Edberg and won the opening set 6-4. However, the Swede fought back to claim the second set 6-2 and force the match into a decider.
Agassi faced a lot of physical difficulties during the final set, as the temperature made it difficult for him to carry on. He even vomited on a plant while leading 4-2 but was able to hold on and eventually win 7-5 to clinch the title.
Andre Agassi wrote about the match in his book "Open: An Autobiography" and claimed that both he and Edberg found it difficult to stay on court for the presentation. He added that he felt like vomiting into the winners' trophy when he received it.
"We both have a hard time staying on court for the ceremony. When they hand me the trophy, I think about vomiting into it. They hand me a microphone, to say a few words, and I think about vomiting on it too. I apologize for my behavior, especially to the people sitting by the ill-used flowerpot," Agassi wrote.
"I want to publicly suggestthat officials consider relocating this tournament to Iceland, but I need to vomit again. I drop the microphone and run," he added.
During the presentation ceremony in Washington, Agassi joked about him vomiting on the plant, stating that that would be the reason why it shall have grown.
"These people over here weren't very lucky to see me puke about three times in that plant over there. So next year, when that plant is blocking your view, you will understand why it's grown," Agassi said.
@AndreAgassi pic.twitter.com/zMxifzlcEdThrowing up on court one minute, lifting the trophy the next...
😳 @AndreAgassi pic.twitter.com/zMxifzlcEd
Andre Agassi faced Stefan Edberg on nine occasions
Andre Agassi and Stefan Edberg locked horns in nine matches, with the former leading 6-3 in the head-to-head between the two. Their very first meeting came in the round robin of the 1989 Masters (now known as the ATP Finals), with the Swede winning 6-4, 6-2.
The two squared off in four finals, with Agassi winning three of them. The only time Edberg won a title clash against the American was at the 1990 Newsweek Champions Cup (now known as the BNP Paribas Open) in Indian Wells.
The last match between the two came in the third round of the 1995 US Open, with Agassi triumphing 6-4, 6-3, 6-1.