Mark Petchey names his all-time American greats ahead of 2014 US Open
He drew me into tennis as a kid and his Wimbledon showdown with Chris Lewis in 1983, which he win 6-2 6-2 6-2, was the first Wimbledon final I saw live, so he has always been a favourite of mine.
He achieved so much success in his career seven Grand Slam singles titles, becoming World No 1, plenty of doubles success but I think his greatest achievement was probably the way he transcended the sport.
With John it wasn’t about the numbers, it was about the memories thrashing Connors at Wimbledon in 1984 weeks after losing in heart-breaking fashion to Ivan Lendl in the French Open final and the way he took tennis to the masses.
He grew up as teenager fulfilling his father’s dream of being a tennis player, a dream that he did not share despite being great at the sport, and then he made a stunning comeback and won more Grand Slams after slipping into the mid-100s in the rankings.
One of the most iconic moments in tennis, at least in my eyes, was when Andre was two sets to love down and against Andrei Medvedev in the French Open final in 1999 and looked dead and buried but came back to win it and complete a career Grand Slam when you thought that accolade would elude him.
He began as a wild child, with the long hair and denim jeans; the bronzed, sunglasses-wearing, former army paratrooper Nick Bollotierri in his corner; and showcasing that tennis wasn’t just for the rich, but he ended it with slightly less hair, lots of money and eight Grand Slam titles.
Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic have taken defensive returns and getting the ball back into court to a whole new level, a facet of the game Agassi didn’t nail quite as much and which perhaps cost him at times in his great rivalry with Pete Sampras, but in terms of seeing the ball, stepping in and dominating rallies straight away, Andre was the greatest.
It was perhaps fitting that after previously turning his nose up at the white-clothing rule at Wimbledon, that was where he won his first Grand Slam and began his path to greatness.
A part of Pete’s career I will always remember, though, is watching him try to win the French Open at Roland Garros, something he unfortunately never managed to do.