Andre Agassi once revealed how he felt about the harsh criticism he received from the tennis world regarding his behavior. The American expressed his frustration, pointing out that his actions paled in comparison to the poor examples set by other professional athletes.
Agassi burst on the tennis scene as an 18-year-old, reaching the semifinals of the 1988 French Open and US Open. Although he was admired for his tennis skills, the American did rub some members of the tennis community the wrong way with his controversial behavior on the court, like when he caught Argentine Martin Jaite’s serve in his hand at the Davis Cup that same year.
In a 1990 interview with the New York Times, Andre Agassi opened up about how difficult it was to endure such intense scrutiny as a teenager. The American admitted that he had become very jaded because his critics didn’t show him any compassion as he navigated the tough circumstances.
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"I feel like I've been around the block, but my defenses are up, and now it's like you're guilty until proven innocent. And that's horrible, because the way it always used to be and the way it should be is that you're innocent until proven guilty. It's not easy staying accountable to the world: when you're 18 years old it's tough to do everything right. When you're 50 it's tough to do everything right," Andre Agassi said.
Although Agassi acknowledged that he had made mistakes in his career, he also argued that other professional athletes had made far more grievous errors like having affairs and getting hooked on drugs and alcohol. In contrast, the American said that the criticism about him revolved around his bold outfits and tendency to swear on court.
"And I've made mistakes: the time I caught the ball that Martin Jaite served in Argentina, I just can't imagine doing something worse than that. I can't imagine me ever doing it now," he said.
"You've got professional athletes who are caught in affairs, who have drug problems, or alcohol problems, but when people criticize me they're talking about things like 'He said he was a Christian and I heard him swear on the court,' or 'Oh, those clothes are too bright,' or 'Oh, he tanked the second set, I don't care if he won the match,'" he added.
Furthermore, Andre Agassi said that his home crowd at the 1990 US Open had been actively "cheering against" him rather than simply supporting his opponents, making him believe they would've been happy with any player winning as long as it wasn't him. Agassi reached the final of the New York Major that year but suffered a crushing 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 loss to Pete Sampras.
Andre Agassi: "My fame and popularity seemed to bring out the worst in people and in me, I did some things to wound my image"
While Andre Agassi did have to face a lot of criticism in his early career, he also received tons of adulation from tennis fans. However, the immense fame had a negative impact on the American.
In the aforementioned interview, Agassi candidly stated that his popularity caused him to act in an arrogant manner and brought out the worst in him. He even admitted that he harmed his reputation with his actions.
"When you're 18 and some people start treating you like you're larger than life, sometimes you start acting like you are even if you don't really believe it in your heart. You feel like a piece of meat, and my fame and popularity seemed to bring out the worst in people, and in me. I did some things to wound my image, and some other people did some things to scar it," Andre Agassi said.
However, by the end of his career in 2006, Andre Agassi had transformed into a far more mature player, with tennis player turned commentator Mary Carillo crediting the eight-time Grand Slam champion for "deciding to be a grown-up" despite all the "money and fame" he had.
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