'Managed to climb the hill': Andre Agassi shares what was his biggest challenge during French Open 1999 triumph

Former world number one Andre Agassi has opened up the experience of lifting the French Open. The 55-year-old was regarded as one of the best players of his generation as he finished his career with eight Grand Slam titles in 2006. Despite winning less than 10 major titles in his illustrious career, Agassi managed to complete the Career Grand Slam after winning the all-important French Open title in 1999, where he defeated Ukraine’s Andrei Medvedev in the final in five sets with a score of 1–6, 2–6, 6–4, 6–3, 6–4.

It was his own title at the Roland Garros and he had to wait four years to complete the Career Grand Slam after winning three major titles in 1992, 1994 and 1995. Interestingly, it was his third appearance in the final of the French Open. He finished as the runner-up on two occasions. In 1990, Agassi lost to Ecuador’s Andres Gomez in the final in Paris with a score of 6–3, 2–6, 6–4, 6–4. A year later, the former world number one lost to his fellow countryman Jim Courier in the final at the same venue in a five-set thriller with a score of 3–6, 6–4, 2–6, 6–1, 6–4.

Agassi spoke with Courier at the Tennis Channel where he stated that he will remain ‘grateful’ for finally being able to achieve the Career Grand Slam. Las Vegas-born star stated that one of the biggest challenge on the day was to fight against his ‘greatest opponent’, which according to him was himself.

“Somehow the skies opened up at the right time in my favour that time,” said Agassi. “I got a good luck lecture from my coach Brad Gilbert in the locker room and some how managed to turn the match where I was deer in headlights into probably of the few times I can actually say I managed to go from that being in the zone, to speak. To put it plainly, it was the day in between the lines on the tennis court, I knew that I would have any more regrets. It was the last one of the four for me to win. It was the one I could have won 10 years earlier a couple of times. It was the one I never thought I had a chance at again. I was old enough to be nervous to be so relevant, to know that I will never have a chance after this, most likely, you know all those kind of things came together. I was fighting my greatest opponent which was myself out there for a little while. You know managed to climb the hill, so very grateful.”