Andre Agassi had some of the best performances of his career on his home turf, specifically in Miami. Having won the Miami Open title 6 times – most in ATP history – Agassi has been on the winning side of some insane rallies. Here are the top eight outrageous points the former World No.1 from America won.
8) 1990 semifinals vs Jay Berger
Andre Agassi and Berger’s rally began with a few simple forehands with no change in direction or speed. All of a sudden, the latter’s strategically placed, slow forehand forced Agassi to hit the ball from around the net. Not expecting his opponent to pull off an exceptional return, Berger ended up losing the rally.
(0:12 in the video)
7) 1990 final vs Stefan Edburg
Known for frequently using the serve-and-volley move, Stefan Edburg tried pulling off the same against Agassi in the Miami Open 1990 final. To his credit, Edburg had a great wide serve, forcing “The Punisher” to sprint across the court to hit an unbelievable one-handed backhand lob. With the ball barely touching the baseline, Agassi won a point that seemed to be Edburg’s to win for the majority of the rally.
(1:45 in the video)
6) 1994 semifinals vs Pat Rafter
Going up against yet another serve-and-volley specialist in Pat Rafter, Andre Agassi pulled off a similar move. After a great serve to Agassi’s body, Rafter ran towards the net and placed the ball beautifully towards the other end of the court. However, the American was able to cover ground quite quickly and hit an unreturnable forehand lob.
(2:44 in the video)
5) 1995 final vs Pete Sampras
Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi locked horns on several occasions. Their clash in the Miami Open 1995 finals was one that no tennis enthusiast will forget.
After hitting a forehand-backhand combo, Agassi saw Sampras charge towards the net. Hence, the eventual champion hit a stunning deep forehand, one that was too fast and wide for Pete to even attempt.
(4:08 in the video)
4) 1996 quarterfinals vs Michael Joyce
Apart from winning the Miami Open in 1996, Agassi also had the best point of the tournament. During the quarter-final clash against Michael Joyce, an accurate drop shot forced Agassi to sprint toward the net. With Joyce lobbing the return a bit too high, it gave the defending champion just enough time to hit one of the craziest tweeners in tour history.
(4:53 in the video)
3) 1996 finals vs Goran Ivanisevic
Andre Agassi won the Miami Open in 1996 after Goran Ivanisevic retired three games into the tie. However, even in the brief amount of time on court, the American was able to get fans hyped by delivering a 115 miles/hr backhand winner from the baseline.
(5:53 in the video)
2) 2001 final vs Jan-Michael Gambill
During the seventh point of the first set tiebreak, Agassi ran towards the net. Returning a fairly difficult shot, the American played an excellent drop shot. Taking pace of the return, the eventual champ didn’t allow Gambill to make an attempt to return.
(8:03 in the video)
1) 2002 final vs Roger Federer
Andre Agassi had one of his most majestic shots during the second set of the Miami Open 2002 finals against Roger Federer. In a 3-shot rally, Agassi punched a forehand down the line that Federer could do nothing about.
Defeating the Swiss 6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, Andre won his record-breaking sixth and final Miami Open title.
(9:23 in the video)
