Andre Agassi revisits his and Rafael Nadal's memorable Italian Open photoshoot at St. Peter's Basilica from 19 years ago

Nearly two decades later, Andre Agassi has revisited his memorable photoshoot with Rafael Nadal. The photoshoot took place during the 2005 Italian Open, which marked the Spaniard's debut at the prestigious tournament.

With the 2024 Italian Open underway, Nadal stole the spotlight with his impressive 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Zizou Bergs in his opening match. The Spaniard, a 10-time champion at the Masters 1000 event in Rome, will take on Hubert Hurkacz in the third round.

Amid the ongoing Masters 1000 event, Eurosport Italy took the opportunity to revisit some iconic photographs from past editions of the tournament. From a picture of Novak Djokovic celebrating his Italian Open triumph with his parents to Roger Federer posing with Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova smiling joyously at the Colosseum, the post showcased the rich history of the event.

One standout picture captured the Spaniard posing with Andre Agassi against the backdrop of the famous Saint Peter's Basilica.

Reflecting on the memorable photoshoot, Agassi reshared the post on social media.

Andre Agassi's Instagram story

The 2005 Italian Open saw sixth seed Andre Agassi battle past the likes of Richard Gasquet, Ivan Ljubicic and Dominik Hrbaty to reach the semifinals. Agassi had the opportunity to set up a blockbuster title clash with Rafael Nadal but suffered a 7-5, 7-6(0) loss to Guillermo Coria in the semifinals.

The Spaniard, meanwhile, entered the Masters 1000 event as the fifth seed, triumphing over Mikhail Youzhny, Victor Hanescu, Guillermo Canas, Radek Stepanek and David Ferrer to reach the final. He claimed a hard-fought 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 4-5, 7-6(6) win over Coria to clinch the first of his 10 Italian Open titles.

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Rafael Nadal and Andre Agassi reunited at the 2024 Netfix Slam exhibition

The Spaniard and Andre Agassi

Andre Agassi took on a commentary role during Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz's Netflix Slam exhibition, which took place in Las Vegas in March 2024.

Agassi got the opportunity to reunite with the 22-time Grand Slam champion and Alcaraz before the event, also bonding with the Spanish duo over a round of golf.

Agassi shared his thoughts on Nadal's impending retirement during the event, emphasizing that the Spaniard deserves to end his career on his own terms.

"He won't take anything for granted out here tonight given his preparation and the dreams he has of going through the last phase of his career," he said during the Netflix Slam.

"Does anybody deserve to go out from tennis on their terms better than this guy? I mean, easy guy to respect, hard guy to play against, and a beautiful thing for the sport to have it here watching him," he added.

Alcaraz triumphed over the 22-time Grand Slam champion in the blockbuster exhibition clash, securing a narrow 3-6, 6-4, 14-12 victory.