Andre Agassi continues to grab the spotlight despite having retired almost 18 years ago from professional tennis. The tennis legend was recently given a shoutout by The New York Times. Agassi took to Instagram, responding to the quirky mention that he received.
In their daily crossword, The New York Times had “Agassi” as one of the words. The clue for the same was – ‘Tennis great known as “The Punisher’. Throughout his illustrious career and even after his retirement, The New York Times has written numerous articles and covered various stories of Agassi. However, stumbling upon the word ‘quiz’, the 8-time Grand Slam winner was seemingly amused with the different shoutouts he received.
Apart from tagging the newspaper’s Instagram account on his Story, Agassi also sarcastically added the “thinking emoji”.
Andre Agassi never fails to amuse with his epic reactions and this time, NY Times was at its receiving end! 🙂 pic.twitter.com/KpzfOMsHnh
— Wide World of Tennis (@tennisfan_dkr) April 23, 2024
From where did the nickname ‘The Punisher’ originate for Andre Agassi?
Describing Andre Agassi as a “tennis great” seems to be an understatement. Before the Big Three dominated the sport like no other, Agassi was in contention for the GOAT title alongside some of the biggest names in tennis such as Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, and Boris Becker. Being a professional on the tour for two decades, he won 60 titles and is one of the very few players to also win 8 Grand Slams, a Tour Finals, and an Olympic gold medal.
Additionally, early on in his career, Andre Agassi was given the nickname “The Punisher”. The former World No.1 was known for asserting command over his opponents while being placed at the baseline. Tiring his opponents by getting them to constantly run the lengths of the court, Agassi was best known for testing other players’ fitness levels.
In terms of his own fitness, the Las Vegas native is lauded for being a unique physical specimen. The 60-time ATP level title winner regarded his commendable discipline to remain fit and incredible conditioning as the reason for the overly stacked trophy cabinet of his. Even years after hanging the boots, Agassi prioritizes his workout and is praised for living a healthy lifestyle.
