Andre Agassi once opened up about looking up to John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, and Bjorn Borg when he was younger. However, Agassi revealed that he found it easier to root for Borg rather than his legendary compatriots.
During their playing days, Connors and McEnroe were notorious for their fiery personalities and often made headlines for their on-court tantrums. The duo once almost even came to blows during a tense clash. In contrast, Borg gained recognition for his calm and composed demeanor, with his and McEnroe’s rivalry earning the nickname ‘Fire and Ice’ due to their contrasting attitudes.
Although Agassi had his own reputation of possessing a bold and rebellious personality, he found it “easy” to like and support Borg due to the Swede’s calmness. During an October 2013 press conference, the former World No. 1 referred to Borg, McEnroe, and Connors as his childhood tennis heroes, disclosing that he tried to emulate their playing styles when he was younger.
However, Agassi admitted that he couldn’t bring himself to like McEnroe and Connors initially because of their contentious behavior but acknowledged that his perspective on the seven-time Grand Slam champion shifted as he grew older.
“I always rooted very hard for Bjorn as well. He was easy to like, easy to root for. I tried to imitate a little bit of everybody’s game. I did that with Bjorn. I did that with John. I did that with Jimmy. But Bjorn, when it was head‑to‑head, it was easy for me to root for him,” Andre Agassi said.
