Former
American tennis star
John Isner has expressed pride after losing to former
world number one
Andre Agassi in an exhibition match at the
Cincinnati Open.
The mega-event, which begins on Wednesday, will see some of the big-name players compete to secure the ultimate prize.
Just before
the start of the mega-event, there was an exhibition match where some of the
big-name American players took part, including the likes of Isner, Agassi, Andy
Roddick and Tommy Paul. After the match, Isner, in a post on his official
account on the social media platform, wrote that he was ‘proud’ of losing to a player
of Agassi’s stature. "Proud to take an L to AA,” he wrote.
Isner
retired from professional tennis at the end of 2023. He was famous for his big
serve but could not win a single Grand Slam in his title. His most impressive
performance in a big event came during Wimbledon in 2018 when he was eventually
knocked out of the competition after losing in the semifinal to South Africa’s Kevin
Anderson with a score of 7-6, 6-7, 6-7, 6-4, 26-24. On the other hand, Agassi,
who is a former world number one, retired from the sport in 2006 after winning
eight Grand Slams in his career. Roddick is also a former world number one and won
one Grand Slam title in his career, retired from professional tennis in 2003.
This year, there will be a new champion in the men’s singles category as the defending champion, Novak Djokovic, has already withdrawn from the mega-event after winning the gold medal in the Paris Olympics. He lifted the title last year after beating
Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in the final with a score of 5-7, 7-6, 7-6. In the women’s
singles category, America’s Coco Gauff will defend her crown. She lifted
the title last year Karolina Muchova in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-4.