Watch: When 20-year-old Andre Agassi called the chair umpire "son of a b****" during US Open clash

Andre Agassi abused a chair umpire during the 1990 US Open
Andre Agassi abused a chair umpire during the 1990 US Open

Andre Agassi once abused a chair umpire during a meltdown in one of his US Open matches.

The year was 1990 and the American was seeded fourth. Agassi triumphed over Canada's Grant Conell in straight sets to set up a second-round clash against Petr Korda.

During the match, one of Agassi's backhands was called out by chair umpire Wayne McKewen and the American was far from pleased with the call. He marched towards the chair umpire, who later gave him a warning for shouting an obscenity which Agassi denied.

The then 20-year-old said that he didn't say anything before calling McKewen a "son of a b***h". He also spat at the umpire and was later fined $3000 for his actions.

youtube-cover

Agassi won the match against Korda in four sets and said later that while he did spit, it was not meant to be directed at McKewen.

"I spit, but not at him. Obviously some of it hit him, but it wasn't intentional. The referee used his best judgment and said no way I meant it," the American said.

Agassi also said he got carried away with a few bad line calls and was angry about it. He denied initially swearing before admitting to losing his temper.

I got carried away with the fact that there were a few bad line calls," he said. "I think there are a lot more positive things to talk about. I yelled out in anger and he saw it as abusive language. He thought I swore, which I didn't. Then I lost my temper."

Andre Agassi went on to beat Franco Davin, 13th seed Jay Berger, Andrei Cherkasov and second seed Boris Becker to reach the final, where he was beaten by his rival and 12th seed Pete Sampras.


Andre Agassi won two US Open titles throughout his career

Andre Agassi at the 2018 Australian Open
Andre Agassi at the 2018 Australian Open

Andre Agassi won 79 out of 98 matches at the US Open, claiming two titles. The New York Major is one of only two Grand Slams which the American clinched multiple times.

Agassi's maiden US Open title came in 1994 when he was unseeded. He beat Robert Eriksson, Guy Forget, 12th seed Wayne Ferreira, sixth seed Michael Chang, 13th seed Thomas Muster and Todd Martin to reach the final. The American triumphed over fourth seed Michael Stich in straight sets in the final to win his second Grand Slam singles title.

Agassi's second title at the US Open came in 1999 when he was seeded second. The American triumphed over Nicklas Kulti, Axel Petzcsh, Justin Gimelstob, Arnaud Clement, Nicolas Escude and third seed Yevgeny Kafelnikov to reach the title clash. In the final, Agassi beat Todd Martin in five sets to win his second Grand Slam of the year, having previously won the French Open.

Apart from 1990, Andre Agassi lost in another three US Open finals in 1995, 2002 and 2005. He was beaten by Pete Sampras in the first two while losing to Roger Federer in the third one.

Andre Agassi's last tournament was the 2006 US Open. He beat Andrei Pavel and eighth seed Marcos Baghdatis to reach the third round, where he was beaten by Benjamin Becker in four sets.

What are Andre Agassi-Steffi Graf’s children doing now? Everything to know about Jaz & Jaden Agassi

Quick Links

App download animated image Get the free App now