The plot thickens in Newport as a tennis legend makes an appearance! When Marcos Giron focused on winning his quarterfinal match in the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, observing him closely from the stands was his childhood idol Andre Agassi. And after a stellar performance, the 30-year-old player paid a special tribute to Agassi, calling him the “nicest guy” he had ever met. Therefore, the question that arises in everyone’s mind is: Has Giron found his new coach in Agassi?
While there’s no official word yet, Agassi’s presence at the tournament has sparked speculation about a potential coaching relationship between him and Giron. However, as of now, the story seems different. The former World No. 1 attended the museum at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport. But as he saw Giron and Reilly Opelka practice before their respective matches in the ongoing tournament, the 54-year-old former player couldn’t control his urge to try a few shots on-court with them. He joined the duo in the practice, and pictures of their meeting surfaced online. But there’s more!
It seems Giron might have certainly benefited from some expert guidance from him, too. This is because, in his quarterfinal clash against Alex Bolt, he comfortably swept past him by 6-4, 6-1! And after the match, the American tennis player Giron did not forget to add something special for the guest in the audience, who kept smiling at him, clearly impressed by his victory.
What have you learned from @AndreAgassi?@Marcos_Giron93: The more time I’ve spent with him, the more I realize he’s just a pretty face #InfosysHallofFameOpen pic.twitter.com/5APIV0mAXn
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) July 19, 2024
He started with a touch of humor to his statement, saying, “The more time spend with him the more I realize he is just a pretty face! Naturally, everyone laughed along. But jokes aside, he also added, “No, honestly, the guy is unreal. He’s really the nicest guy I’ve ever met. His knowledge is incredible, so, it is really special. He’s somebody I’ve looked up to growing up and it’s really amazing that he is even better in person than you can imagine.”
Whether Agassi coaches him or not, either way, Giron’s admiration for the former player is there to stay forever. And this is not the first time that he showered praise on Agassi!
When Giron’s coach predicted of him to play “baseline like Andre”
The eight-time major champion and an Olympic gold medalist, Agassi, has inspired many tennis players to pursue the sport and in that long list, Giron is also present. Not only him, but Giron’s role models also included Pete Sampras, another former World No. 1 who ruled in tennis along with Agassi during the same time.
In an earlier interview, the 30-year-old player said, “Growing up, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras were my inspirations.” Further adding, he said, “Just loved the way that they competed, they were both very different. My coach used to say, You’re gonna play baseline like Andre and serve and volley like Pete. I still have a lot of way to go for that.”
Indeed, so, the former World No. 44, who turned pro in 2014, (almost 12 years after Agassi retired) has a long way to go. But for now, his goal is to defeat Christopher Eubanks in the semifinals of the tournament. And whether Andre Agassi remains present in the upcoming match or not still remains to be seen!
