Andre Agassi in Atlanta Again–Rematch of 1996 Olympics at BB&T Open
Andre Agassi is headed back to the tennis courts of Atlanta, 20 years after the former World No. 1 tennis player won the gold medal in the 1996 Olympics. And guess who he’ll be playing in that match? None other than the Spaniard Sergi Bruguera, his opponent who took the silver in those Olympics.
The match will take place Sunday, July 31 at 730pm as part of the BB&T Atlanta Open at Atlantic Station.
Agassi is eager to return to this hotbed of tennis action, saying “I’ve always loved playing tennis in Atlanta. Whether it be an ATP World Tour event or the 1996 Olympics, Atlanta has some of the best tennis fans and they brought out the best in me over my career. To have another chance to play Sergi and relive a special Olympic moment this summer is something I’m looking forward to experiencing.”
Agassi is a tennis legend, having won all four Grand Slam titles, including the U.S. Open twice and the Australian Open four times. He won eight Grand Slam singles titles and an Olympic gold medal and is one of just seven male tennis greats to achieve a Career Grand Slam (winning an Australian Open, French Open, US Open, and Wimbledon).
He is now 46 (his birthday is today April 29), and still involved in the sport that gained him so much notoriety. He was famous for his flashy, boisterous style on court and off, and his private life was often the subject of tabloid fodder, first married and divorced to Brooke Shields, then building his life with another tennis legend, Steffi Graf. They now run the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation, which helps at-risk children in southern Nevada, along with the Andre Agassi College Preparatory School, located in West Las Vegas.
Agassi’s opponent in the exhibition match, 2-time French Open champion, Sergi Bruguera, explained, “It will be special to have another chance to play Andre in Atlanta, the city where we played the Singles Gold Medal Final at the 1996 Olympics. I’m looking forward to having a shot at a rematch and re-visiting the city of Atlanta.”
The BB&T Atlanta Open is one of the top ATP tennis events in the US. Tickets for the 2016 BB&T Atlanta Open and the Agassi vs Bruguera exhibition are available now and can be purchased at http://www.bbtatlantaopen.com/.
