The date was 6 June 1999, when Andre Agassi defeated Andrei Medvedev in an epic five-setter at the 1999 French Open final. It was his first French Open title following two runner-up finishes in 1990 and 1991. With this incredible 1-6,2-6,6-4,6-3,6-4 win against Medvedev, Agassi had then become the third man in the Open Era to win a major singles final from two sets down. After hitting the last point in that match, his racket fell on the ground as he raised his arms to the sky and began to sob. “My first feeling was just sheer shock that it was really over.” Later on, while sharing his thoughts about this epic moment in his career, Agassi revealed, “I’ve got to say it was the best moment I’ve ever had on a tennis court, as far as an accomplishment goes.” Almost 26 years after that epic final, Agassi has not only reunited with his opponent, but days after Rafael Nadal’s emotional farewell, he’s now also bestowed with a special honor at Roland Garros. What’s it, though?

Recently, Andre Agassi and Andrei Medvedev reunited on the TNT Desk, and guess what? Their interaction reflected their love and admiration for each other. Together, they met two times in their careers; the Ukrainian won their SF clash in New Haven in 1993 before Agassi got the better of him on the bigger stage. Recalling some of those moments (1999 final) during their recent interaction, Agassi said, “You’re so strangely on an island on a tennis court, but also so uniquely connected. 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 shit, at least he won’“

Hearing this, Medvedev added, “Same for me. I think it was the magic of the moment. 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, which I used going into Roland Garros.“ He also said, “If you can say that you’re happy to lose to someone, I can say I was happy to lose to Andre. Because he’s the guy I respect. The guy who brought so much flavor and color in tennis. We all respected him. To see him completing the Slam, being on the same stage was a great honor.” 

So, these two have a lot of memories surrounding this clay court event, and recently it was announced that Andre Agassi will present the men’s singles trophy alongside Gilles Moretton and Amelie Mauresmo on Sunday to either Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz. Who will receive the Coupe des Mousquetaires from the eight-time Grand Slam champion? Time will tell!

On the women’s side, Justine Henin will present Coupe Suzanne-Lenglen to either Aryna Sabalenka or Coco Gauff. Henin won the French Open title four times (2003,2005,2006, and 2007) in her career. 

Just a few weeks ago, Henin gave her views on the alarming decline in the four-time champion Iga Swiatek’s form in 2025. According to her beliefs, Swiatek is unhappy at playing so poorly on the clay, and that is what might have been affecting her performances even further. Following that, we saw the Pole going down to the world number one, Aryna Sabalenka, in the SF of the 2025 French Open by 6(1)-7,6-4,0-6. But what does Andre Agassi have to say about the two contenders for the title at the French Open this year?

Andre Agassi analyzes the rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner

Carlos Alcaraz currently leads the H2H record by 7-4 against Jannik Sinner. Last year, the Spaniard defeated Sinner by 2-6,6-3,3-6,6-4,6-3 in the SF of the French Open. Including that result, it has been 2-1 in favor of Alcaraz on this surface. Before the 2025 Italian Open final, Andre Agassi spoke about what exactly keeps Carlitos slightly ahead against Sinner on this surface. He said, “I look at it like Alcaraz’s upside on anything that is slippery is his chance to be a level or have an advantage over Sinner.”

Even before the 2025 Roland Garros final, Andre Agassi was heard saying, “When I look at Alcaraz and Sinner as the two that have sort of pulled away from the pack, I see advantage Sinner on any surface that is firm underneath. I see Alcaraz having a slight advantage on any surface that I would call slippery. When you look at Alcaraz, he is crazy fast defensively. This is a guy that when you watch him move on a hard court, you’d put him top three in the world in movement, you’d put him, Tommy Paul, and [Alex] de Minaur. Then you watch those same three run on clay, a [more] slippery surface, and you realize the fastest guys’ movement diminishes about 5% but Alcaraz’s only diminishes 1-2%.”

But having said that, in another interview, Agassi showcased his astonishment after seeing Jannik Sinner’s restored strength amid his comeback after three months. “The thing that surprises me the most about three months away was always the movement stuff. For me, it was always the return, it was always the reaction to the ball.” So, the storyline for the French Open is “wide open” at the moment for the American legend, and he claims he’s excited to watch it unfold. Who do you think will win the title this year?