Andre Agassi took tennis sledging to another level while playing with Roger Federer in their Australian Open exhibition doubles match against Lleyton Hewitt and Pat Rafter
Pat Rafter seemingly dubbed Andre Agassi a ‘d***’ during a playful exchange in their doubles match at the Australian Open with Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt. The exhibition was won by Agassi and Federer 2-4, 4-2, 4-2 after Ash Barty stepped in for the final set in place of the American.
The cheeky comment came after Agassi teased Rafter following a point win against the Aussie, asking: “Does that bring back some bad memories, Pat?” That query left the audience in fits of laughter.
A chuckling Rafter shook his head before retorting: “You’re such a d***”. Agassi then joked: “I can even feel Roger twitching over here”.
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Rafter then turned to Federer, Agassi’s partner, and quipped: “I could say the same to Roger, too, but I don’t, OK?” Throughout the match, Agassi frequently ribbed his opponents and shared jokes with Federer.
Historically, Agassi has had the upper hand over Rafter, leading 10-5 in their head-to-head meetings. The American also triumphed in both of their encounters at the Australian Open, including a semi-final in 2001.
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That year marked Rafter’s best performance at his home Grand Slam, where he fell to the defending champion. Agassi went on to retain his title in 2001, one of his four victories Down Under.
Rafter did manage to get his own back on Agassi later that year, defeating him at the same stage of Wimbledon to reach the 2001 final. However, he ultimately lost to Goran Ivanisevic.
The pair faced off once more at the Tennis Masters Cup, with Agassi emerging victorious in straight sets. That match came towards the end of Rafter’s final year on the ATP Tour, with his retirement coming two years later in 2003.
Fast forward a quarter of a century, and it was the Australian who outlasted Agassi in Melbourne. Barty stepped in for the four-time Australian Open champion for the final set.
During the initial two sets, Rafter held his own against Agassi. His long-time rival even quipped at one point, “You’re making me look good, Andre”, after the American mishit a shot.
The first set went to Hewitt and Rafter 4-2, but Agassi and Federer claimed the second. Barty then joined forces with the Swiss tennis legend to secure the deciding set.
There were smiles at the end as Agassi returned to the court and all players shared embraces at the net. Agassi and Rafter even shared a hug, wrapping their arms around each other.
That marked the conclusion of the inaugural opening ceremony of the Australian Open, with the doubles exhibition match providing plenty of entertainment for the crowd. It served as an enjoyable warm-up for the main draw, which kicks off on Sunday.
