To speak of a young and unbridled Roger Federer who was preparing to take his first steps in the tennis of the greats in the late 90s, just as we are on the cusp of his (probably) last year on the tour, may seem paradoxical .
or at least nostalgic. However, reciting memories and past experiences is a bit of a fashion and the great tennis players don’t stop, on the contrary, they like to give fans and professionals anecdotes and personal opinions about the world of today and yesterday.
Recently, it was the turn of Andre Agassi, exceptional American champion who, thanks to his longevity, was able to play several times with some players still in circulation, notably Roger Federer.
Agassi and his wife, the legendary Steffi Graff, were interviewed virtually in the living room of the Indian Hindustan Times to talk about the situation of the pandemic and the effects on the tennis world. However, as expected, there was no shortage of questions about the career of the American master, which is why Agassi was happy to share the story of many personal experiences with the public.
At one point his memoirs were opened for the chapter by Roger Federer and his words on the Swiss phenomenon were full of admiration, especially when Andre dusted off his emotions during the first game, the two played in ’98, when a young Federer 6-3, 6: 2 was beaten.
Here are the words of praise from Andre Agassi
“I remember well. And looking back now, I can tell you how I felt inside myself that day. When I hit the ball against Roger, I figured I was going to face the future greatest player of all time, that he would be the best.
I don’t know how to explain it, but these are things that you can hear and feel ”- said the eight-time slam champion. It is worth remembering that despite the fact that Roger and Andre’s were not a real rivalry for personal and statistical reasons, fate did not prevent them from playing them off against one another; In fact, 11 games were played between the two, 8 of which were won by the future 20-time major champion.
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