"I don't think anybody has hit the ball as big and as clean off both wings" - Andre Agassi's former coach praises the American's unique style
ATP
Former Olympic bronze medalist and professional tennis coach Brad Gilbert has hailed Andre Agassi's clean and powerful ball-striking ability.
The American shared a significant amount of success with Agassi as his full-time coach, capturing six Grand Slam titles together as a team and forming an envious partnership on the ATP Tour.
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Gilbert recently joined Patrick McEnroe on his Holding Court podcast and the duo discussed some of the most powerful strikers ever to play the sport. The former World No. 4 mentioned Andre Agassi's name and stated that he'd rate the American's ball-striking ability over anyone till date.
"Andre didn't miss hit the ball, he hit flush and his strings were really tight," said Gilbert. "The way he was able to produce huge power with a small swing. I mean we talk about easy power, his was kind of physical power. I'd take his ball striking over anybody ever."
Agassi did not hit it off instantly with Gilbert during their partnership. He made some tactical adjustments to his game and stuck to it for a while before finding the right balance between power and finesse.
The American had a disappointing start to his campaign in 1994, making early exits at the French Open and Wimbledon. However, during the hardcourt season that year, not only did Agassi capture the Canadian Open, but he also became the first unseeded player to win the US Open.
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Podcast host McEnroe also acknowledged Agassi's ball-striking ability and compared his overall skill set to current World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, stating that the American edged Djokovic when it came to pure power-hitting on both wings.
"I still think Andre had the ability to sort of calibrate how big he wanted to hit the ball," said McEnroe. "But to this day, I don't think anybody has hit the ball as big and as clean off both wings as Andre Agassi. I know Djokovic has got him with the movement, and the serve and the slice, you know, the different kinds of things he can do. But you know, just pure ball-striking, out of the ball machine, boom. Still to me, Andre Agassi hits the ball as big and as clean off both wings."
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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