"20 years from now I’ll remember it as my first bald slam"- When Andre Agassi reflected on winning Australian Open by beating Pete Sampras

Andre Agassi won eight Grand Slam singles titles throughout his career. One of those came at the Australian Open in 1995.

Agassi entered the tournament seeded second and reached the final following straight-set wins over Grant Stafford, Jerome Golmard, Greg Rusedski, Pat Rafter, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, and Aaron Krickstein.

The American was up against defending champion and top seed Pete Sampras in the summit clash. It was the second meeting between the two in a Grand Slam final. Agassi came back from a set down to win 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(6), 6-4 and claim his second straight Major singles title, having previously won the US Open in 1994. The Australian Open triumph didn't come long after he went bald.

Agassi wrote about the match in his book "Open: An Autobiography" and claimed that many would call the 1995 Australian Open his best slam at the time because of the fact that he beat Sampras in the final. He also stated that twenty years on, he would remember it as his first "bald slam".

"It’s my second slam in a row, my third overall. Everyone says it’s my best slam yet because it’s my first victory over Pete in a slam final. But I think twenty years from now I’ll remember it as my first bald slam," Andre Agassi wrote.

The 1995 season turned out to be one of the best of Agassi's career, as he won 73 out of 82 matches with seven titles to his name. However, the Australian Open would be the only Grand Slam he won that season. He came close to successfully defending his title at the US Open but lost to Pete Sampras in the final.

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Andre Agassi won four singles titles at the Australian Open

Andre Agassi at the 2018 Australian Open

Andre Agassi is one of the greatest competitors in the history of the Australian Open, winning 48 out of 53 matches with four titles to his name. The American's 90.6 win percentage is his best at any Grand Slam.

Agassi's first title at the Australian Open came in 1995 but he did not triumph Down Under again until 2000, when he beat Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the final. He then successfully defended his title at the Melbourne Major by beating Arnaud Clement in the title clash.

Agassi's fourth triumph at the tournament came in 2003 when he beat Rainer Schuttler in the final. His last appearance at the Australian Open came in 2005 when he reached the quarterfinals before losing to Roger Federer.