During the 2005 Indian Wells Masters, Andre Agassi and Roger Federer played a charity match and engaged in friendly banter over the latter’s hair. The veteran light-heartedly told the Swiss to go bald like him as it would save a lot of effort.
For almost his entire career, Federer sported long locks with a headband. During his early days, Agassi also donned long, wavy hair. However, in his autobiography Open, launched in 2009, he revealed it was a wig. The eight-time Grand Slam winner said he began losing hair during his teenage years and resorted to using a hairpiece. After a few years, Agassi found the confidence to go bald and play with a fully shaved head.
During their exhibition tie in 2005, Agassi interrupted Federer as he was about to serve. He joked that if the latter got a haircut, he would not have to wear his headband and keep adjusting it. The American imitated the then-24-year-old’s serving routine, pretending to fix and tie his hair like Federer did. The Swiss responded by acting out shaving his head bald like his opponent’s.
Agassi gestured for Federer to continue playing as both players giggled over their antics. The audience, already in raptures over two elite players joking around, roared with laughter as the 1996 Olympic gold medallist yelled ‘Come on cutie!” to get Federer to serve.
Agassi retired a year after this but kept playing exhibition games occasionally. He and Federer participated in another charity game in 2010. Alongside Rafael Nadal and Pete Sampras, they raised funds and awareness for the 2010 Haiti Earthquake.
When Roger Federer and Andre Agassi played high up in the sky
Just weeks before their jovial exhibition encounter at the 2005 Indian Wells, Roger Federer and Andre Agassi played some friendly tennis in a much more eye-grabbing setting. As part of the promotional activities for the 2005 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, the duo played a round of tennis more than 200 meters above sea level in what was a first in tennis.
The organisers of the tournament tied up with the 7-star luxury hotel, Burj Al-Arab, to convert their helipad into a temporary grass court. The makeshift ground was 690 feet above the ground and had no boundaries or fencing. Agassi and Federer played 20 minutes of tennis in this jaw-dropping set-up. A helicopter filmed the legendary pair and clicked pictures of them plying their trade in the clouds.
The epic event was picked as one of the 50 game-changing moments of the past 50 years curated by the ATP website as part of their anniversary celebrations. Federer and Agassi retired with massive legacies and this was one of the most exclusive and iconic moments of their careers.
