‘I Would Quit Tennis..’- When Rebellious Andre Agassi Threatened an American Tournament Officials with a Scathing Message over Their Puzzling Move to Entertain Fans

There are certain names that will always be associated with greatness in tennis and Andre Agassi is one among them. The American international at his time was a force to be reckoned with. The 8-grand-slam winner was known for not only his unique game style but also his unique fashion sense.

However, there are certain moments when a player, no matter how great, can lose his cool. The same happened with Agassi, who even thought of not returning to the same tournament ever. But what was the issue that led Andre to take such a decision? Let’s find out more.

Andre Agassi was furious over music being played during tennis matches

To make the matches and the game look more attractive, ATP came up with something very unique. It decided to play songs during changeovers so that it can lighten up the mood of players and fans alike. The same thing was tested at the 1994 New Haven Volvo Open where Andre Agassi faced Siemerink, ranked 113 at that time.

At first, things looked good for the legend. However, soon he realized that he was not able to concentrate on his play which even led to some sloppy errors. Furious by this, he even went to the chair umpire to complain about the music distractions but as it turned out the umpire could not help him.

It was not over for Agassi just there yet as he went on to slam the authorities. “It’s an embarrassment,” Agassi said, according to worldtennismagazine.com. “It’s a joke. If any other tournament does this, I would quit tennis before I would go out there and be a part of that. And that’s no exaggeration. It drove me nuts. (…) It’s a question of what they are doing to the sport.”

According to The Washington Post, he said, “I’m not saying they shouldn’t have music because it distracts me, I’m saying we shouldn’t have the music because it isolates people from what they are there for – which is tennis.” These comments by Agassi showed his disappointment. “I can’t tell you how disappointed I am that I chose to come here to prepare for the US Open,” he added.

Also read: 3 Months After Smash Hit in Las Vegas, Legendary Couple Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf Spring Up Sudden Surprise With an Exciting Pickleball Update for Fans

Boris Becker joined Agassi in addressing the same concern

It was not only Agassi who seemed furious. Boris Becker, another legend of the game, addressed the same concern. He said that it was a tennis court and not a music hall. This highlighted the concerns that music was distracting players from playing their games properly.

Watch this story: Roger Federer Pulling Off ‘GOAT Sh*t’ With Absolute Ease Against a Helpless Nick Kyrgios Leaves Tennis Fans in Splits

Started as an experiment, it became a trend in almost every ATP tour tournament before long. However, the likes of Boris Becker and Andre Agassi showed their concerns citing loss of concentration. What’s your take on the story? Do let us know in the comments below.