In his autobiography, “Open: An Autobiography,” tennis legend Andre Agassi shared an incident from his childhood involving Ilie Nastase that made him so angry he wanted to punch him. The incident occurred when Agassi’s father Emmanuel, a former Olympic boxer, moved the family to Las Vegas and became the captain of a casino frequented by tennis players. This allowed a young Agassi to meet and hit with renowned tennis players, such as Jimmy Connors and Bjorn Borg, and even work as a ball boy at the Alan King Tennis Classic.
Nastase and Agassi’s Encounter
During this time, Agassi became enamoured with a ball girl named Wendi Stewart, who he later dated. One day while hitting with Nastase, he noticed Stewart watching them from the net. Nastase then called Agassi “Snoopy” and asked if she was his girlfriend. Agassi revealed that he wanted to punch Nastase for speaking about Stewart disrespectfully.
Agassi’s Reaction and the Crowd
As Nastase continued to tease Agassi about Stewart and repeatedly call him “Snoopy,” a crowd of around 200 people gathered around them. Although Agassi wished he had the courage to confront Nastase, he could only cope by hitting the ball harder. When Nastase eventually made another disrespectful remark about Stewart, Agassi dropped his racket and walked off the court.
Comparing the Careers of Agassi and Nastase
Both Andre Agassi and Ilie Nastase were among the best tennis players in history, each having successful careers. Agassi managed to win eight Grand Slam singles titles, including four Australian Open titles, two US Open titles, one French Open title, and one Wimbledon title. In contrast, Nastase won two Grand Slam singles titles at the French Open and the US Open, along with five Major doubles titles, including three in men’s doubles and two in mixed doubles.
