"It's overwhelming to me" - When Andre Agassi opened up about putting on a show with Pete Sampras at Indian Wells after Serena Williams controversy

Andre Agassi was once asked about the atmosphere in the stadium during his 2001 Indian Wells final against Pete Sampras in comparison to the Serena Williams controversy a day before. Agassi, however, avoided addressing the Williams' situation directly in his answer.

In 2001, the Indian Wells event was marred by a huge controversy involving Serena and Venus Williams. The sisters were set to face off against each other in the semifinal but Venus withdrew minutes before the match.

Their father Richard faced allegations of match-fixing and deciding who wins when it comes to matches between the sisters. In the aftermath of this, Serena faced an extremely hostile crowd in the final against Kim Clijsters. She was booed throughout the match and even during the presentation after she won.

The next day, Agassi took on Sampras in the final in Indian Wells. In comparison to the day before, the crowd was excited and relished the all-American final. Agassi won the match 7-6(5), 7-5, 6-1, and during his post-match press conference, he was asked about the difference in atmosphere between the two matches.

Agassi sidestepped any direct comparison between the atmospheres and instead, he acknowledged the overwhelming nature of the crowd’s energy and shifted the focus to staying mentally locked in on his game.

"It's overwhelming to me, to be quite honest. I have to fight to stay focused on what I'm doing. In many ways, I'm aware of just how special it is. When you feel the rush of the crowd, walking on the court, you have to quickly regroup and remember it is about the tennis," Andre Agassi said.

"The reason why we both have established ourselves is because we thought about the tennis. "What do you want to do today? Move your feet, watch the ball." You'd be surprised how quickly it comes back to that," he added.

In the aftermath of the Serena Williams controversy, her father Richard accused the crowd of using racial slurs against them. Serena also alleged the same in her autobiography in 2009. The Williams sisters eventually boycotted the Indian Wells event for over a decade.

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When Andre Agassi revealed how high the expectations were for compatriot Serena Williams

Serena Williams and Andre Agassi - Source: Getty

In 2016, Serena Williams won her 22nd Grand Slam title at the Wimbledon Championships and matched Steffi Graf. Months later at the US Open, she attempted to win a 23rd and be the lone woman at the top in the Open Era.

Speaking to CNN before the New York Major in 2016, Agassi shed light on the high expectations that are always present for Williams.

"It’s remarkable. I’ve kind of joked for a long time, quite frankly that she is probably one of the only persons I’ve ever seen that, no matter how much she wins, she could always be considered an underachiever," Andre Agassi said.

He explained how questions are raised when she does not win a Major.

"Because I remember years when all of a sudden she didn’t and you’re going: 'Why didn’t she?' She’s so good," he added.

Serena Williams did not win the US Open that year but managed to win her 23rd title in Australia in 2017 while pregnant. She ended her career in 2022 with 23 Major singles titles.