"He's writing checks that you only hope his body can cash" - When Andre Agassi spoke on Rafael Nadal's fitness after Spaniard's ATP Finals withdrawal

Back in 2005, Andre Agassi spoke on Rafael Nadal's fitness after the Spaniard withdrew from the ATP Finals.

The Spaniard well and truly established himself as one of the best players in the world that year, winning the French Open along with 11 titles. The last of these came at the Madrid Open where he beat Ivan Ljubicic 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3).

Nadal, however, suffered a foot injury after the tournament and was forced to withdraw from the ATP Finals (then known as the Tennis Masters Cup) in Shanghai. This would have been his very first participation at the season-ending championships.

Agassi, who lost 6-4, 6-2 to Nikolay Davydenko, was asked about Nadal's withdrawal in his post-match press conference. The then-third-seeded American claimed that the Spaniard was 'writing checks that his body might not be able to cash', which could cause a lot of wear and tear to it.

"Well, yeah, you know, listen, Nadal is a great talent, and he has for sure raised the bar for how players need to approach this game, you know," Andre Agassi said. "It's a very physical game. But he's writing checks that you only hope his body can cash."

"He plays very hard every single point. You hope he can stay healthy. But it is a lot of wear and tear. A great career not only takes what he has, but it also takes some luck too, you know. You have to be healthy," he added.

The match against Davydenko turned out to be Agassi's only fixture in the Tennis Masters Cup, as he had to withdraw from the tournament due to a shoulder injury.

Rafael Nadal won both of his matches against Andre Agassi

Rafael Nadal and Andre Agassi during an exhibition match in 2010

Rafael Nadal and Andre Agassi locked horns just twice, with the Spaniard coming out on both occasions.

The first match between the two took place in the final of the 2005 Rogers Cup (now known as the Canadian Open), with the Spaniard winning 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 to secure his maiden hard-court singles title.

The last meeting between the King of Clay and Agassi came in the third round of the 2006 Wimbledon Championships. The Spaniard triumphed 7-6 (5), 6-2, 6-3 to book his place in the fourth round.

The match turned out to be Agassi's last at the grass-court Major as he retired from tennis after the 2006 US Open, where he reached the third round before losing to Benjamin Becker.