Andre Agassi won all four of the game’s major titles and sits among the best players to have ever graced a tennis court.
Although the American star only managed eight Grand Slam crowns, his ability was undeniable and without Pete Sampras to compete with, he would certainly have won more majors.
Agassi spent 20 years on the ATP circuit and spent time as the world’s number one player in 1995.
In 1999, Agassi ended his five-year wait for a second US Open crown and took the title against a player from the same nation.
The final proved to be something of a classic and Agassi had some kind words for his Flushing Meadows opponent afterwards.
What Andre Agassi said about Todd Martin that never came true
Martin was the man handed the unenviable task of coming up against Agassi at the US Open in 1999.
In fairness, the United States player was well-drilled for the final, having beaten Greg Rusedski and Cedric Pioline to reach the showpiece match in New York.
Agassi proved an obstacle too far for Martin, however, as he slipped to a 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 2-6 defeat to the legendary player.
Afterwards, Agassi suggested that he felt that Martin would get over the line despite a number of setbacks in his career.
He said in his press conference: “You know, it’s hard to be good enough to even put yourself in that situation. You do that long enough and good things happen. I lost a lot of big matches. I lost a brutal five-setter up two sets to love against Brecker in Davis Cup, served for the match. Five-setter, went down in a big match that probably would have given us the tie.
“I lost my first three Grand Slam finals. I mean, the idea is to just — things can go well sometimes, but other times you have to keep working and keep earning it. That’s something I believe Todd can do. He’s disciplined and good enough to give himself a lot of looks at the basket.”
Martin never got over the line to win a Grand Slam
Talk about unlucky. Martin had to play Agassi in the 1999 US Open final and was beaten by Sampras in the Australian Open final, which he reached in 1994.
It didn’t get much tougher than that in the nineties and ultimately, he may look back on his career with a tinge of frustration at having to play the two greats of that period.
Martin never got beyond round four at the French Open and reached two semi-finals at Wimbledon, losing to Sampras in 1994 and Mal Washington in 1996.
Martin won eight career titles during his career and won over $8 million dollars as a professional player.
He was also the world’s number four-ranked player in 1999 and will still look back on his career with a lot of pride, despite the fact that Agassi’s comments never came to fruition when it came to lifting a Grand Slam.
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