Tennis has given Andre Agassi innumerable trophies, fame, money, fans, a chance to travel around the world, and even a life partner. What else does a player want? But there was a time when he hated this sport like no other. Recently, Agassi gave an interview with ‘60 Minutes Australia‘ where he spoke about his ‘hate-love‘ relationship with tennis.

In his biography, ‘Open‘ Agassi has described tennis as ‘torture‘ and the court to be a ‘prison‘. Andre Agassi picked up the sport at a very early age and his ‘punishment’ continued until the day of his retirement. But why did he hate the sport so much?

Andre Agassi hates tennis “with a dark and secret passion”

Agassi never dreamt of being a tennis prodigy. It was imposed on him by his father, Mike Agassi. His father was his primary coach before sending him to the hard-core Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. Was there a time when Andre Agassi really fell in love with the sport? Replying to this question, Agassi said, “Uh, I call it a hate-love you know, not a love-hate. Yes, I’ve definitely resented it early, early watching what it did to the family dynamics at home.“

In his biography, Agassi wrote, “I play tennis for a living even though I hate tennis, hate it with a dark and secret passion and always have.” He revealed that he started playing tennis at the age of just six months. His father used to hand a ballon on his crib and then tape a ping pong racket to his hand. Every time he tried to get rid of the racket, his father used to think his son was naturally inclined to the sport.

READ MORE: ‘Hated Every Minute of It’ – Andre Agassi’s Cruel Childhood Prompts Missy Franklin’s Father to Send Out a Warning to Strict Parents

He revealed how he felt disconnected from the sport and that the excessive pressure right from his childhood never let him enjoy the sport the way he’d have wanted it to be. But seeing underprivileged kids made him ultimately realize that their lack of choices was far worse than his, and slowly he started to work on it.

Agassi related the role of his fitness trainer to be quite similar to a ‘surrogate father’

The 8-time Grand Slam title holder once spoke highly about his fitness trainer, Gil Reyes. “I put so much pressure on myself that being able to escape that with my team meant a lot. So, my brother early on, when I turned pro, was a big deal,” Andre Agassi.

The American tennis legend, further added, “Then came my trainer a few years later, that basically was my surrogate father. He was the first one to really teach me that I was worth caring about, which is never the way I really felt. He made my body strong but he really made my mind and my heart strong and I always felt understood. It was like family, again some of the themes.“

Agassi also stated that working with Brad Gilbert who’s currently also the coach of another American tennis star, Coco Gauff was a pivotal moment in his career. He revealed his game reached another level working with Gilbert. Did you know this ‘hate-love’ story of Andre Agassi’s tennis career?