While singles tennis garners most of the attention, doubles tennis has a charm of its own. The recent retiree, Leander Paes, was involved in a great clash as he teamed up with Mahesh Bhupati. The two Andre Agassi and Lleyton Hewitt in the 2001 Rome Masters. Calling it his career’s “worst” defeat, Paes further complimented Agassi when he said, “don’t know how we lost it.” 23 years later, Paes reminisced the moment in a candid conversation with Agassi showing how these two players shared an admiration for each other no matter what.

Paes was recently inducted into the prestigious Tennis Hall of Fame. He was introduced by legendary player and Paes’ old mixed doubles partner Martina Navratilova. The event was graced by many tennis legends including Chris Evert and Andre Agassi. Agassi, who used to play doubles, discussed a smashing victory he achieved against Paes. Indian Tennis Daily shared a clip of Paes in a conversation with the American, where he talked about his heartbreaking loss.

“You beat us in Rome once. Me and Mahesh (Bhupathi) v/s you and Lleyton (Hewitt). We served for it and you hit three backhand crosscourt return winners in one game,” Paes said to Roddick. The American remembered the match being discussed and responded to Paes saying, “Yeah, I think you guys served for the match twice.” 

Agassi has complimented the Indian ATP star many times. This year, when he spotted Paes in Cred’s new advertisement, he expressed his delight. “Always a delight watching @leander both on and off the court,” tweeted Agassi. He also mentioned his Indian opponent in his autobiography Open: An Autobiography. “In the semis, I meet Leander Paes, from India. He’s a flying jumping bean, a bundle of hyperkinetic energy, with the tour’s quickest hands. Still, he’s never learned to hit a tennis ball. He hits off-speed, hacks, chips, lobs — he’s the Brad (Gilbert) of Bombay,” wrote Agassi.

Along with Agassi, his father was also charmed witnessing Calcuttan’s performance against his son in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Mike Agassi told Paes’ father, Dr Vece Paes, “Amazing. My boy is supposed to play well, but your boy has been playing this week like a Top 4 player.” While Agassi always found praise for his Indian opponent, Paes also couldn’t get over Agassi’s brilliance in the sport.

Leander Paes called Andre Agassi “ a genius”

Years after Paes faced off against Andre Agassi in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics semifinals, the Indian ATP star still has those memories fresh in his mind. In 2020, Paes complimented Agassi saying, “Agassi was a genius of the game and his mental aptitude to handle situations really shone through in that semis.”  

The same year he wished the American ATP star on his birthday on Instagram with an adorable picture of the duo from an on-court moment. “Happy Birthday Dre @agassi You epitomize what an athlete should be! I hope you, Steffi and everyone back home are doing well. Stay Blessed brotha! 🙏🏽🍰🥳 ,” Paes wrote.

Andre Agassi and Leander Paes’ bond shows how rivals usually bond off-court. Despite an on-court rivalry, these two legends showcased a perfect example for young tennis players, without compassion and love, one can never be a legend in the field no matter how many titles one wins.