"If I stop winning, I could be the comedian out there" - When an 18-year-old Andre Agassi commented on dealing with increased expectations

An 18-year-old Andre Agassi once stated that he would be a comedian if he stopped winning, during the 1988 Los Angeles Open.

The American made his debut in 1986 at the age of 16. He won his debut match but lost to Mats Wilander in the second match. At the age of 17, Agassi won his first tournament.

After dominating tennis for around two decades, the American hung up his tennis boots in 2006. During his illustrious career, he won eight Grand Slam singles titles and an Olympic Gold Medal.

In 1988, the Las Vegas-born athlete competed at the Volvo Tennis Los Angeles. Seeded first in the tournament, Agassi was a favorite among the fans. After one of his wins during the tournament, the then-18-year-old star was asked how he deals with increased expectations.

Andre Agassi responded to it and said that it was justified that people out there had their hopes pinned on them. He also stated that it was his job to win because if he failed to win, he would immediately become the 'comedian,' and hence people would stop watching him.

"There's a lot more expectation on me, definitely, you know, and justifiably so. They have every right to expect me to not only entertain but also win because if I stopped winning and I could be a comedian out there, they wouldn't watch it."

Agassi further said that he did not think much about people's expectations and instead focused more on doing his thing, to keep himself happy.

"So, I think there are expectations on me but I do not think about it too much, I just go out there and do my thing and if I can do that, whether I stay up or not, it's not important as long as I'm happy with what I'm doing," the American added.

The American reached the final of the tournament but lost to Mikael Pernfors in the final.

Speaking during the same press conference, the former World No. 1 said that he had no regrets about not being able to play at the Olympics. He also said that it would have been an honor to represent his country, be it at the Davis Cup, Grand Slam tournaments, or the Olympics.

"It did cross my mind that would definitely be an honour to play for your country whether it's Davis Cup, whether you represent your country in the Grand Slam tournaments or whether it's the Olympics," he said.

"This year I wasn't picked in and I wasn't right at the time when they picked it, so I have no regrets about that, hopefully I will be around for a couple of Olympics," Andre Agassi added.

---

Andre Agassi won the Gold Medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics

LIPTONS TENNIS AGASSI USA

Andre Agassi narrowly missed getting included in the U.S. men’s team for the 1988 Olympics. The American joined the likes of Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe in missing the Olympics.

Almost a decade later, the American eventually won the Gold Medal in men's tennis in the 1996 Olympics. In the final, Agassi beat Spain's Sergi Bruguera, 6-2, 6-3, 6-1, to win the medal.

Andre Agassi's win over the Spaniard and the subsequent gold medal in men's singles tennis was the first Gold medal of the United States in the same event.