"A call made by a guy who shouldn't be in this business" - When Andre Agassi was defaulted for losing his cool on court

Tennis has young players with foul-mouths come and go and the problem goes way back, with even former World No. 1 Andre Agassi landing in trouble once for using indecent language on court.

Roll the clock back to 1996 Indiapolis, where Agassi was a heavy favorite against Daniel Nestor in their second-round clash. The American was cruising with a set in his bag, but lost a break in the second. It was in that moment that he sent a ball flying into the stands, for which he received a warning from the chair.

Unimpressed, Agassi shouted profanities at the chair and the superviser was called. Recalling the exact moment in presser, the American had said he shouted "F*** you" at the chair before umpire Dana Laconto could finish his ball abuse warning.

“I hit the ball out and he says, 'Warning' and right when he was finishing me giving me my warning, I said, 'F*** You, Dana.'," Andre Agassi had told press at the time.

The match superviser, Mark Darby, who was called to discuss the quantum of punishment for Agassi batted for a default — a decision that shocked the American. He was quick to argue, in vain, that he had only gotten warning and point penalties for such offences in the past.

"I got a warning; then he went straight to default," Andre Agassi had said. "I felt I had an argument for not getting a point penalty. It's something I've said a thousand times and today they decide that I crossed the line."

Agassi would later go on to dub Darby as someone who should not be in the "business" in the first place.

"It's a call made by a guy who shouldn't be in this business," the former World No. 1 added.

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"That statement goes over the limit" - Superviser who handed Andre Agassi the default

Andre Agassi at the Pacific Life Open.

Andre Agassi was by no means the only person who had a thing or two to say about the episode in hindsight. In fact, Mark Darby, the superiver who handed the American the default went on to double down on the decision.

Speaking to press at a later point, Darby justified the default saying it was the first time that he came acorss a player hurling an abuse directly at the chair. That, in his opinion, was "going over the limit" and warranted a strict punishment.

"In my experience this is the first time that I have been at a tournament that a player has said that statement directly at the chair," the match referee had said at the time. "That statement goes over the limit, goes over the edge as far as the code is concerned. It is one that can go straight into default."

Andre Agassi ended the 1996 just inside the top-10, finishing at No. 8. He, however, did not win a Grand Slam title that season, with his best results coming in the form of semifinal finishes at the Australian Open and the US Open.