The road to World No. 1 is rarely straight forward. But some journeys have more twists and turns than others, especially those involving a slide from the mountain top before a character-building return to the summit.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings this month, leading tennis writer and historian Joel Drucker reflects on five remarkable runs to the top.
Andre Agassi at the 1999 US Open. Photo Credit: Jamie Squire/Allsport
Agassi Goes From Agony To Ecstasy
Andre Agassi had long been tennis’ biggest box office attraction. Yet in November 1997, he was competing at an ATP Challenger Tour event in his hometown of Las Vegas. World No. 1 just over two years prior, Agassi at this point was No. 141.
Agassi’s morale had been sapped by his loss to Pete Sampras in the 1995 US Open. Over the next two years, Agassi scarcely devoted himself to tennis. In 1997, he skipped the Australian Open, Roland Garros, and Wimbledon.
Matters bottomed out that autumn with a first-round loss in Stuttgart. Immediately came a long conversation with his coach, Brad Gilbert. As Agassi wrote in his autobiography, Open, “I say, OK, Brad, I’m not ready for it to be over. I’m all in. Tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.” Cue his return to the Challenger Tour.
“My fall from the top was in comparison to Bruce Springsteen playing at the local bar down the street,” Agassi later said of his run to the final in Las Vegas. “People talk about me being humbled out there. Well for sure. I was fighting out there and I was very far from where I had been. But what more beautiful place to start the climb back than in your own backyard.”
By early 1998, Agassi’s newfound dedication was clear, proven vividly by a February win over Sampras in the final of an ATP Tour event in San Jose, California. At year’s end, Agassi had soared back up to World No. 6. That, though, was mere prologue for what was to come.
In the spring of 1999, Agassi nursed a shoulder injury, but was convinced by Gilbert to play Roland Garros. Following several early-round struggles, he reached the final for the third time. Twice Agassi had been the favourite but was upset. This time was different. Agassi rallied from two sets to love down to beat Andrei Medvedev and complete the career Grand Slam of winning all four majors.
From there, it only got better: a final run at Wimbledon, winner at the US Open, the latter an impressive rally from two sets to one down versus Todd…
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