Andre Agassi made the ball sound like a "shotgun" but players today are hitting it even bigger: Mike Bryan

Mike Bryan recently reminisced about Andre Agassi hitting tennis balls, likening it to the sound of a shotgun. He also acknowledged the significant evolution of tennis in recent years.

In a conversation with ATP Podcast reporter Jill Craybas, Bryan shared his insights on the evolution of tennis, highlighting the physicality of modern players as a major change.

"The game has gotten so much better so like college tennis is it I mean it looks like pro tennis now. These guys were embarrassing me but yeah it’s watching it now on TV and I watch a lot of Tennis TV just to see and it seems like the game is just sped up. The physicality has gone to another dimension," Bryan said on a recent episode of ATP Tennis Radio Podcast.

Bryan also recalled when he watched Andre Agassi effortlessly hit tennis balls with such force that they sounded like shots coming from a shotgun. However, he noted that modern players have taken this style of play to new heights, hitting even bigger and better shots. He said:

"It just seems like they’re moving just like cats to the corners and it’s just the points are a little bit longer and the guys are swinging harder. I remember watching Agassi back in 19 like maybe 88 here and there was no one that hit the ball like him. It sounded like a shotgun the way he hit it. But now everyone’s hitting even that big but bigger and it looks like super tennis."

During his discussion, the 44-year-old highlighted the significant transformation in the physical demands of the game for which the players now have a dedicated team to ensure their physical well-being and recovery.

"You just need these flexible bodies that are strong and they all have these like huge teams behind them," Bryan said. "If you don’t have a team working on you, you get injured because it’s just too demanding and to win a Grand Slam is like running a marathon, you know, like seven marathons."

"So that’s one thing where the bodies have to be just as good as the games. You can’t just be a talented player, you gotta work just as hard on your body."

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Andre Agassi was a part of two Davis Cup-winning teams

Andre Agassi at the 2019 Australian Open

Andre Agassi was a pivotal member of two victorious Davis Cup teams for the United States, the first of which was in 1990. During that year's final, the Americans faced Australia in a highly-anticipated match.

Agassi's performance was nothing short of spectacular as he won a thrilling opening match against Richard Fromberg with a score of 4-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. This incredible victory gave his nation a 1-0 lead and set the tone for the rest of the tournament.

Andre Agassi faced off against Darren Cahill in a match that ultimately held no significance as the United States had already secured an insurmountable 3-0 lead. Unfortunately, Agassi was forced to retire after the conclusion of the second set due to a strain in his right sternum.

The 1992 Davis Cup was the eight-time Grand Slam champion's second title, as he won each of his seven matches throughout the tournament's World Group.