Andre Agassi fondly revisits Olympic gold medal at Atlanta in 1996 alongside Leander Paes & Sergi Bruguera

Andre Agassi with Olympics gold medal (L), Leander Paes, Sergi Bruguera, Andre Agassi (Source: GETTY)
Andre Agassi with Olympics gold medal (L), Leander Paes, Sergi Bruguera, Andre Agassi (Source: GETTY)

Andre Agassi recently revisited winning the gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Spain's Sergi Bruguera won the silver medal, while Indian Leander Paes took home the bronze medal on that occasion.

Agassi took a giant leap towards the coveted career golden slam when he won the gold medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. The American had won the 1992 Wimbledon Championships, the 1994 US Open, and the 1995 Australian Open. Therefore, he needed two more victories for the golden slam. He won the 1996 gold medal and finally completed the golden slam in 1999 when he won the French Open.

The former World No. 1 recently fondly looked back on the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Leander Paes, the bronze medalist, shared a picture of all the winners, which Agassi later reposted on his Instagram story.

Source- Andre Agassi's Instagram handle
Source- Andre Agassi's Instagram handle

Agassi had a great run at the 1996 Olympics, defeating Jonas Bjorkman and Karol Kucera in the first and second rounds, respectively. He then defeated Andrea Gaudenze in the third round. The American followed it up with a tough victory against Wayne Ferreira in the quarterfinals, winning 7-5, 4-6, 7-5.

Agassi defeated Leander Paes in the semifinals to set up a final against Sergi Bruguera. The final saw Agassi take home the gold in an easy 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 victory.

Paes, who lost in the semifinal, played the bronze medal match against the Brazilian Fernando Meligeni and defeated him with a comeback 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 win. His bronze medal is historic, as he became the first Asian to win a tennis Olympic medal and remains the only Indian to win a medal in tennis at the Olympics.


Andre Agassi: "Olympics is in its own category"

Andre Agassi celebrates the gold
Andre Agassi celebrates the gold

Only 15 men in the history of tennis can boast about having an Olympic gold medal, Andre Agassi being one of them. Many legends of the game, like Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, can not stake their claim on an Olympic gold medal.

Agassi talked about the power of the elusive medal in an interview with ESPN in 2016. The American stated that the Olympics belonged in a separate category and that athletes have various methods to saveguard the medal.

"Olympics is in its own category. It has this power. That's why some athletes who have one carry it around with them. Because so many people just want to see it. Some display it. Others hide it or put it in a safety deposit box so it can't get lost or stolen," he told ESPN.

This year, the tennis competition at the Paris Olympics will run from July 27–August 4, with many stars such as Ons Jabeur, Aryna Sabalenka, Ben Shelton, Emma Raducanu, and Andrey Rublev, among others, set to give it a miss.

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