Andre Agassi makes feelings clear as French Open winner reunites with foe after 26 years
Andre Agassi and Andrei Medvedev's rivalry took center stage at the 1999 French Open, but the former foes put their differences aside
Tennis legend Andre Agassi expressed his sympathy for the plight of Ukraine, home country of fellow tennis star Andrei Medvedev, during a reunion at the French Open.
Agassi, whose wife Steffi Graf is also a former tennis pro and whose son Jaden Agassi plays for Team Germany in the World Baseball Classic, was joined by Medvedev at the TNT Sports desk on Friday. He is part of a star-studded team covering the tournament, which includes John McEnroe and Venus Williams.
The pair, who faced off in a nail-biting Roland Garros final 26 years ago, appeared delighted to be reunited, with no signs of any lingering animosity.
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Upon welcoming Medvedev to the set, Agassi expressed his condolences for the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. "I'm so sorry for what your country is going through right now. My love and respect," he said.
"Your commitment to it ... it needs fighters like you, man."
Medvedev responded gratefully to Agassi's words, saying: "It's nice to be here. Of course what Ukraine is going through is horrible. And the whole country is united for our victory, for our survival.
"Hopefully we will not be leading 2 sets to 0 and losing in 5 this time. Hopefully we will manage to save our country. There are a lot of great fighters in Ukraine. I'm quite confident that if the West doesn't stop to support us, our freedom is not far away."
Recounting their legendary five-set battle at Roland Garros on June 6, 1999, former tennis foes turned friends reminisced about a match rife with drama, including a 20-minute rain delay, which saw Andre Agassi rally against Andrei Medvedev to secure a 1-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory, achieving the remarkable feat of winning all four Grand Slam titles on different surfaces.
Agassi reflected on the intense emotions experienced stepping onto Court Philippe-Chatrier, articulating his feelings about the unique isolation and connection of being on a tennis court during critical moments. "You're so strangely on an island on a tennis court but also so uniquely connected," he said.
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"Then you find yourself in the biggest moments of your life. An opportunity to do something you've never done. And you have this battle that's hanging in the balance. Maybe one shot. Maybe one point. Sometimes you feel it's a matter of luck or of destiny. But Andrei was always one of those players where I could always say to myself, 'Well s----, at least he won.'".
Medvedev shared in the sentiment, appreciative of a motivational pep talk from Agassi just weeks earlier. "Same for me. I think it was the magic of the moment," Medvedev acknowledged.
"We knew history was on the line. If Andre wins, he completes the Grand Slam. If I win, I would win the slam everyone thought I deserved to win... if you look a bit back in the career."
"Because of the mutual respect and also the special thing that happened a few months before Roland Garros in Monte Carlo, when Andre saved my career by giving me some advice, that I used going into Roland Garros. Because of all this, this made it sentimental."
Medvedev shared that he had been pleased to see Agassi win, indicating that his admiration superseded his competitive instincts.
"If you can say that you're happy to lose to someone, I can say I was happy to lose to Andre," he stated.
"Because he's the guy I respect. The guy who brought so much flavor and color in tennis. We all respected him."
Medvedev felt honored to share the moment when Agassi completed the Slam.
"To see him completing the Slam, being on the same stage was a great honor. Of course I'm disappointed I lost. But like I said, if you lose in this historical moment to a person like Andre, in a way it's a big honor. I'm happy I was a part of it."
