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‘Don’t Ever Touch the Hair’- Andre Agassi Confessed ‘Pure Hatred’ Towards an Opponent Over an Innocent Mistake Back in 1994

Published 10/25/2022, 9:47 AM EDT

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Andre Agassi became the top-performing player during his time because of his sheer talent. He had that thirst and passion to win whenever he was on the court. So, when he went on to the clay court in 1994 at the French Open and could not claim a victory, it irked him.

More so because his opponent had played with his hair while shaking hands after the match. This absolutely fumed the American player, and he warned him to not mess with them again.

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Andre Agassi was absolutely aggravated when Thomas Muster played with his hair

Agassi was hugely insecure about his looks because he started balding at the age of 19. After that, he wore a lion mane-style wig. Consequently, this made him conscious of his looks. At the 1994 French Open, Agassi lost the match against Thomas Muster. His opponent teased him by touching his hair and that set the player off. Agassi stated in the book, ‘Open’, “I go to the 1994 French Open and play five vicious sets with Thomas Muster.” Agassi was doing well, however, “I always hear Brad’s philosophy in my head, but now it’s coming from inside, not outside. I’ve internalized it, the way I once did my father’s voice.” He did not give up and tied the set at 5 but his opponent did not give up. Agassi stated, “Muster breaks me. He’s serving for the match. Still, I get the game to 30–40, I have hope.”

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However, things did not go as planned and Agassi lost the match. That in itself was aggravating for the American player. However, what happened next set him off. He stated, “At the net, he rubs my head, musses my hair. Apart from being condescending, his gesture nearly dislodges my hairpiece.” The American tennis star was high with fury in his eyes. He said, “Big mistake, Muster. Don’t touch the hair. Don’t ever touch the hair.” And he ended up giving one more promise to Muster, he stated, “I’ll never lose to you again.”

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Afterwards, when his coach congratulated him, Agassi did not like it. He stated, “Clearly he doesn’t understand the pain that losing causes me. And when someone doesn’t understand, there’s no point trying to explain.”

Agassi once lost a French Open final because of his wig 

In 1990, Agassi reached the finals of the French Open. However, a night before, while showering his wig came off. His brother stuck it on him with a lot of pins. During the match, Agassi confessed that his whole concentration was on his wig which he was afraid would fall off. This led him to lose the match.

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WATCH THIS STORY: When Roger Federer toyed his opponent so bad, he asked for advice from Andre Agassi in the crowd Wimbledon championships

The American tennis legend achieved a ‘Career Grand Slam’ when he won the French Open in 1999. With eight Grand Slam titles under his name, Agassi is one of the most celebrated tennis players of all time.

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Written by:

Shivali Sharma

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Shivali Sharma is a tennis author at EssentiallySports. She has pursued her Master's in history from Himachal University, but her love for the game has driven her to write about tennis. Shivali is a huge fan of Naomi Osaka and admires Osaka not only for her on-court performances, but also for her off-court actions.
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Edited by:

Hitesh Nigam