Agassi vs Lendl Forest Hills 1989

Andre Agassi vs Ivan Lendl, semifinal Forest Hills 1989

[@hymansahak181]

I truly believe the most devastating loss in Lendl’s career was the 89 French fourth round loss against Chang. Lendl dominated the clay court season that year (as always) on top of the first 5 months in 89 and there was really nobody to get in his way to win that French title. Had Lendl won the French that year, it would have given him an extra boost for the ladder part of his career. Lendl’s second and third most devastating losses came later that summer at the Wimbledon semifinals against Becker (where he had Becker on the hook before the rains came and changed the outcome of the match) and again against Becker at the US Open final where Lendl’s confidence was shattered from what happened earlier that year at the French and Wimbledon. That Chang loss really had Lendl questioning himself despite playing in my opinion during 89 the best tennis he had ever played in his life evidenced by all the tournaments he won which was an achievement in itself.

[@zeddeka]

The Chang match was a case of history repeating itself. 7 years earlier in 1982, Lendl had a virtually identical loss at the French Open to another unheralded 17 year old, Mats Wilander. Chang played almost identically to how Wilander played Lendl that day. Hypnotising Lendl with long heavy topspin rallies. In both matches, Lendl seemed to think his younger opponent would just collapse. I think 1988 was really a worse for Lendl than 1989. Hampered by injury and failing to win a grand slam for the first time since 1983, indeed, only reaching one grand slam final. 1989 was in many ways a much better year. He reached the final of 2 grand slams, winning the Australian Open for the first time, played the best tennis he ever played at Wimbledon, got to the final of the US Open but was unlucky in both cases to run into Boris Becker having the best year of his career.

[@drugstoremarc2]

Lendl is such a classic player. He hits it so clean and textbook like. If you want to teach a kid on how to play tennis, just show him a couple of Lendl tapes and you're set

[@antonboludo8886]

Yes, a pure forehand and a pure backhand, and great fitness.

[@al1976-v7m]

Great serve too!

[@carlosmagnus717]

How do you know! His forehand, his backhand, his serve were sublimes. However, he also had his technical weaknesses, the volley, which later with work and discipline, with the help of Tony Roche, he managed to improve substantially. His slice backhand, without being bad, he pushed the ball more than to use the wrist to give it that "floating effect" and weight that others like McEnroe or Leconte gave to the ball, for example. But for me he was a very powerful player, with very elegant shots and movements, even though some people called him "iron player", a nickname that gave him not because they knew much about tennis, but because they didn't like his face or his manners, nothing more. Very unfair the value that they gave him.

[@bruceschaffer101]

Thanks for posting. It's a pleasure to see two terrific players, from great camera angles, with commentary from Arthur Ashe.

[@VoltagePurple]

Glad you liked the video. Yea, I wish more tennis today was shot at the camera angles used here. Check out the full quarterfinal match between Agassi and Krickstein, you may like it as well: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eWTYaYR6lt1opcU

[@zeddeka]

Lendl really became the ultimate percentage player. Never going for anything flashy or extravagant unless he had to. It won him so many matches.

[@smashthestateX]

u spelled djokovic wrong

[@Maddawg31415]

Just smart tennis by Lendl. Phenomenal ball placement, quality serving, and he wasn’t hitting the ball crazy hard, and he really had some good forehand shots. He had just won Australia so he was playing good

[@elevate32767]

You will never be as cool as '89 Andre Agassi with a mullet and blue pants.

[@haldundere5865]

lol

[@theoriginalthinker9199]

......and a wig.

[@SonateSonate]

@@theoriginalthinker9199 fyi the hair piece came a year later

[@blake7871]

@Nova snow It's his real hair here, but it's about to fall out quickly.

[@zoltanrudolf]

Even after all these years the beauty of Andre Agassi in his late teens is breathtaking.

[@tomsd8656]

Are you a woman? I don't see much beauty there, just a lot of hair.

[@damienbeauvais6005]

I'm very impressed by the skill. They strike very hard and fast. Who said game was slow in the 80's!!??

[@syedhaniraza]

totally agree. Lendl is hitting like hell from wings..look at the spin he is getting from his top spin backhand. who said they were not good n striker of ball. lendl any day.

[@brianboucher4248]

This was late-80's.... racquet technology advances... then later, the huge string tech changes....

[@uncletony6210]

who said the game was slow in the 80s? I did. Watch McEnroe vs Vilas Pepsi Grand Slam.

[@oot007]

Lendl is a legend. He was the first "modern" tennis player and took the sport to a new level in terms of fitness and could hit through net players with his amazing technqiue etc. He was the best striker of the ball in tennis until Federer.

[@kw19193]

Well spotted. In addition his strokes off both wings were things of beauty although his footwork on his backhand would contribute heavily to his back problems. A great but under-appreciated champion. Cheers!

[@trent8002003]

Great camera angle. All tennis matches should be filmed at this angle and elevation. Most are filmed way too high and far away!

[@petemann8407]

You are absolutely right. The telecasting/filming of tennis has bee stuck to the same bird eye view for decades. Many aspects of the game do not show. Why cannot they do better? With the modern equipment, it would not be difficult to at least add some variation, some points on player level, some from a diagonal angle etc. You rarely even see versatile angle slo-mos like the one of Lendl’s serve at 12:00. (Even no one in the live audience sees the match from the view of a usual broadcast, except maybe on the upmost seats of end sides on very few oversized arenas.)

[@Robearwgl]

completely agree

[@anthonymartin777]

Unfortunately matches are filmed for viewers with little knowledge.

[@davidglow3]

It's like you are hitting the shots with the player..A great angle that is no longer

[@jamesw7609]

Good call.

[@lszujo73]

Lendl was on a different level....Agassi hadn't learned to place the serve,he basically just wanted to start the point like Nadal early on...but hitting the ball on the rise would benefit him later on to win on all surface,also Agassi later on his carrier became the ultimate student of the game,and percenage player like Lendl was at that time

[@TheHondaman1975]

Lendl always looked like he has so much time on the ball, great serve and groundstrokes, lots of topspin on that backhand.

[@belcherman]

Thank you for posting this , I played againts him just years before................... he kicked my ass.

[@williamhuang2857]

Lendl's serve and backhand look so smooth nd powerful. I wish more pros copy those shots..

[@TesterBoy]

Lendl was on a high plateau at this time. And most people don’t realize how important the percentage of first service is!

[@fundhund62]

I could listen to Arthur Ashe commentating all day! ;)

[@perfectchaos0078]

Wow he sounds just like Cliff Drysdale

[@fundhund62]

The other one ;) 1:06

[@VoltagePurple]

The commentators are Cliff Drysdale and Arthur Ashe: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eWTYaYR6lt1opcU

[@eltravo2112]

Good to hear Arthur Ashe commentating. R.I.P.

[@OneAdam12Adam]

I can't believe how long the siren in the background keeps going! JEEZLUSS!

[@ericfreeman5795]

The player who tailored his groundstrokes after Lendl was Pete Sampras, another player with a powerful forehand and solid topspin backhand.

[@Feroxing12]

i was a kid back then and everyone wanted to be like Agassi

[@alanchong7513]

Agassi is wearing tracksuit pants at the start of this match. It looks weird but he is simply keeping warm. Thanks for the upload. Two absolute legend of the sport. Where is the rest of the match? I will search around for it. The telecast is very enjoyable. Great low camera angle to show the speed of the game and player movement.

[@TomSmith-sj2zq]

...he was keeping warm...mmm...makes sense.

[@kenianatanieleaparecida7648]

Alan Chong wewe

[@IAMMOVIN4WARD]

I never saw a tennis player rock pants during a professional match ever lol! Figures it would be Andre.* [stefblack.com]

[@nicholasthetennisrat3373]

ICANPRAISEGOD Only in the 80's, right? lol. I wish they would do more off the wall stuff like this now! Every one is so conforming.

[@IAMMOVIN4WARD]

Nick Dinsmore You're so right...oh well lol.*

[@uncletony6210]

back when we played in the 1940s pants were commonplace, although the ones we donned were always white.

[@fundhund62]

I saw Lendl play a doubles match with a tracksuit on (World Team Cup 1984). Lendl won alongside Smid against Edberg/ Jarryd!

[@liamsilver4843]

i remember Hrbaty doing the same in the late 90s/early 2000s. It's rare but its happened.

[@fhdowntheline1825]

You can feel the heft of Lendl's shots just watching the video. Imagine feeling it on your racquet. The only difference between the Lendl generation and now is that modern players move much faster on the court.

[@DingKong]

Agassi was obviously off to an audition for Miami Vice after the match

[@thefridgeman]

Know your movies son. He went for an audition for Lethal Weapon.

[@DingKong]

He'd already been but was out-mulleted by Mel Gibson.

[@Ryu0714]

😂

[@uncletony6210]

The USO used to be played on this very court.

[@Lovegainers5]

I loved Aggasi's hair when he first came on tour.

[@user-jv9qz2bu1r]

Lovegainers5 Yup. A Fun gimmick.

[@SeattleMarksJoint7]

Rock that mullet Andre!

[@pelehound]

Doesn't get any better than 1989 Lendl.

[@Polarcupcheck]

Agassi backhand was always the shot.

[@shanelawson5072]

Agassi's serve looks so free & natural here... very nice technique!

[@annetteelliott1494]

in all the years I have never seen Lenl smile......

[@Gitfiddle]

Agassi doesn't get enough credit for his running abilities. He could run like a deer and he covered the court very well.

[@datacipher]

He got credit early in his career, when keen observers could see his quickness, but by 1995, though fit and still fast, he had lost a step of his early quickness....and then by 2000 he had lost a few steps compared to his 20 year old self. His career went so long that he tends to be remembered for his post 2000 play, where he was much slower laterally than he had been - though his experience and game were still such that he could play with the best of the youngsters.

[@drbonesshow1]

Jeffrey Haefner And in long pants too. Who wears long pants?

[@TomSmith-sj2zq]

great moves...brillant foot work....cooordination

[@kevintaylor2643]

I followed Agassi's entire career. I always felt his greatest gifts were his vision and anticipation. He was not slow by any means but not among the fastest of all time or even of his era. When you have the vision and anticipation for where the ball is going, it more than makes up for what you lack in foot speed.

[@srkucrickk]

Yeah, here he was fast. But in 2005 he was slow like a turtle.

[@dtxpressen]

Colin Farrell vs. James Franco

[@alfredozampi6584]

dtxpressen hahahhahahah😂😂😂

[@oldfrend]

richard marx vs spandau ballet

[@Radnally]

Lendl put plenty of heat on the ball and had very few errors. I think he even hit an inside out forehand.

[@mrbobevans]

Arguably, Agassi and Lendl are the two best ball strikers of all-time.

[@brianboucher4248]

Rosewall and Agassi...

[@witchwildboy9028]

mrbobevans Connor and Djokovic

[@witchwildboy9028]

mrbobevans and Agassi too

[@peterflorino9692]

RON Taylor - no question Conners and Federer the top 2. Lendl???maybe I was watching someone I thought was Lendl. He never was a great ball stricker. What he was best at was being boring, as in very.

[@neondiamondsaquaberry17]

Does anyone know if those sirens are still going off today ?

[@sagatbalrog]

agassi looks like uncle J from ful house

[@lgtwzrd]

I'm old enough to remember Lendl and Agassi playing, but somehow I didn't remember a tennis player ever wearing long pants during a game. Wow. Those must have been some really comfy pants.

[@jamesbedukodjograham5508]

As tennis was supposed to be in the 1980s.I wasnt into Tennis at that time like Today. My interest in Tennis came about in the early 2000s. I have to adjust to the regiments of the ATP Tour.

[@opencurtin]

Lendl had all the shots..

[@leliondescavernes1747]

Lendl au top de sa forme en mai 1989 avec ses victoires à forest hill et hambourg...

[@eltravo2112]

Watching Agassi play with sweat pants on was about as funny as watching Jordan participate in the 1985 dunk contest with sweatpants and gold chains on.

[@miguelfreitas8694]

Lendl's elegance = style x eficacy

[@hasiemwily1947]

Both of them should have owned double digits number of grandslam in their careers.. they were so unfortunate in some grandslam finals...

[@lotus630]

Lendl definitely, but Agassi wasn't particularly unfortunate in slam finals... maybe against Courier in the 1991 French Open... otherwise he lost the other slam finals pretty convincingly

[@SonateSonate]

@@lotus630 was injured for the 95 US Open final too

[@lotus630]

@@SonateSonate wasn't going to win without the injury anyway

[@SonateSonate]

@@lotus630 you just don't know

[@lotus630]

@@SonateSonate Agassi vs Sampras in the US Open is 0-4, never managed to reach a deciding set not impossible I guess, but highly unlikely

[@williamhuang2857]

One guy plays with an 80-85 sq.in racquet, the other guy plays with a 105sq.in racquet. Thats a huge difference.. If Sampras did what Federer did earlier in his career, he would extended and win some more..

[@jaysherman4149]

Lendl played his whole career with a 75 and he won here versus a 105 6-2, 6-3. Maybe larger racquets are overrated? Lendl and Borg both hit heavy topspin with 75's. Sampras claimed he could have extended his career but he doesn't really know that. He did have arm issues and oversized is easier on the arm. But the additional power is meaningless for someone like Sampras who used a 14 ounce racquet and if anything had too much power. Also he didn't have any issue with mishits.

[@adeadasian8494]

great video

[@VoltagePurple]

If you liked that one, check out the quarterfinal between Agassi and Krickstein. Search my channel for it or put "Agassi Krickstein Forest Hills" into youtube search

[@Karl-TechHD]

LENDL👍

[@VitalityMassage]

Agassi looked like Brooke Shields! Imagine that! Now he looks like a bowling ball with big eyes.

[@yixiangharry]

omg dat HAIR! so fabulous!

[@Motorfirez]

I always get tricked by different generations players . In my mind Agassi is a next -level player compared to Lendl but then I see that Lendl kicked his ass several times - Same way I see Lendl as a much more modern player compared to Borg but then I see that actually Borg kicked Lendl's ass many many times before quitting tennis .

[@vanlendl1]

I played with Borg's wooden Donnay racquet and Lendl's Adidas racquet.

[@filthyloops9821]

@@vanlendl1 Talking about the real ones or the copies you bought at your usual tennis shop???

[@MrHotSpurs1]

Not quite sure that's necessarily the best comparison tho. Yes, Lendl beat Agassi the six first times they played, but that was in 1987-89, Agassi was 17-19yrs old at the time, just starting out on the tour and still just a kid, Lendl was 27-29 and at the top of his game - won the French and US Open in 87, Finals of the US open in 88, won Aus open and finals of US open in 89 and won Australia in 1990. The last two times they played, Agassi beat Lendl pretty handily. Peak Agassi beats peak Lendl 8 times out of 10.

[@luvdasitar]

Agassi had a tough time against hard hitting base liners with an attitude. Check his record against Courier. He had the wood on Becker for some reason though...

[@overkongen34]

@@MrHotSpurs1 Eh, no.

[@sleong]

Classic 80s tennis

[@carlosmagnus717]

1st point, Lendl's forehand: DYNAMITE

[@leveilleurnonsilencieux2681]

lendl was stronger than agassi !

[@kenianatanieleaparecida7648]

le veilleur non silencieux de

[@kenianatanieleaparecida7648]

le veilleur non silencieux werwwwewer Eeeeet

[@novola1972]

Agassi had better backhand.

[@warriorson7979]

Agassi's backhand was still so weak at this stage....😟😒

[@Picklejam08]

Who won this match anyway?

[@info781]

The racquet of Agassi is about twice as big as Lendl's.

[@VoltagePurple]

Lendl's Adidas 74 sq in frame vs Agassi's 107!

[@j.jmcquade5278]

Thanks for posting this. I've been looking for old Agassi videos, from the 1980's. Does anyone have the 1986 or 1987 video of him playing at Stratton Mountain, Vermont? Agassi vs McEnroe (1986). Agassi vs Mayotte (86). Agassi vs Cash (87)???

[@uncletony6210]

the first time I had ever heard of him was when he played on espn at SM in 1987. Never saw anyone strike the ball quite like him.

[@KaitainCPS]

Wow, you can see Agassi's hair is already going here. The fluffiness hides it somewhat, but it's already receding. Guess that's why he started playing in a cap for several years.

[@joydivsion77]

+KingKaitain If you read his bio, "Open", he actually wore a wig under the cap. He won Wimbledon like that LOL!

[@KaitainCPS]

+joydivsion77 I've read it twice! Very entertaining.

[@kenianatanieleaparecida7648]

KingKaitain ww

[@DecayUNCUT]

I wish I could hit the ball that cleanly.

[@drbonesshow1]

Agassi's long hair, long pants look. Well, he might have had a chance at keeping the pants.

[@EliotMcLellan]

lots of sirens in background

[@asterixx6878]

Was this the glory days of tennis?

[@briangottfried8533]

Je me demande encore pourquoi et comment Lendl n'a pas gagné Roland Garros 89, avec la forme qu'il affichait, là, à forest Hill,face à Agassi.....

[@dannyboygeorge22]

Arthur Ash doing color

[@suhasjoshi2905]

This is the first time I ak seeing someone playing professional tennis match with pants on

[@SonateSonate]

Tennis players used to wear pants in the early days.

[@TomSmith-sj2zq]

match is tight. one is stuck up guy, the other a rock star.

[@baronvg]

So much unconventionalism by Agassi here (compared to today, anyway). You’ve got the super mullet; wearing long pants that later became his famous jorts looks; he’s serving from the corner(!) in the Ad Court; he was an American teen ranked in the top 10! How many of these do you see today?

[@VoltagePurple]

Yea, even though the average level of play is much higher today, there was a lot more variation back in the day. Even just among baseliners. Andre is wearing the warm up pants here because it's a cold day(about 50deg F). He's got on the jorts underneath. You may want to check out the quarterfinal match as well: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eWTYaYR6lt1opcU

[@SonateSonate]

Pants on a tennis court were conventional from the 1880's to WWII, roughly.

[@rioverde1597]

Don break my heart!!!

[@criticalmass500]

This is how a legend looks even when they are young..Agassi..this next gen flops will kill tennis once Fed, Rafa and Djokovic are gone

[@danielmiddleton6094]

Yes, it will die then come back again stronger than ever in the years following it's death

[@MrPernell27]

Would love to see prime Lendl vs prime Federer at the US Open

[@formeyousee]

Ohhhhhhhh....that would be a dream match! Lendl hitting with the technology in today's racquets against Federer would make my day!

[@rafizkk]

try Nadal vs. Agassi at their prime ! mind blown

[@Lucian86]

Federer would win either way. It's not about the technology only. Everything has evolved.

[@MrPernell27]

TLC Lendl is physically bigger, and very strong. Given the same equipment it's foolish to say that Federer would win either way. The surface would matter a lot. If they played at the French Open lendle would have a very good chance of winning.

[@Lucian86]

MrPernell27 Phisically Federer had a better training regime to cope with the new pace of the game. Technically he can hit with any racquet better and faster than Lendl. The spin, power and the pace he can generate would be too much for Lendl. Not just Federer but any pro player today can hit harder than Lendl with his own racquet.

[@pablotupone4190]

Forest hills...i suppose this is the same place where the US Open used to be played till 1978

[@VoltagePurple]

Exactly: newyork.cbslocal.com/2016/02/19/world-team-tennis-forest-hills-stadium/

[@clubredken13]

for anyone wondering Agassi finally took his pants off after the third game. It turns out he was just embarrassed about his denim shorts. His mom made him wear them

[@digame.licenciado]

clubredken thought he was just keeping the warmth

[@clubredken13]

He was keeping the warmth..... IN HIS PANTS!

[@damiencoffey2391]

Growing up I was huge Agassi fan, watching these classic matches makes me think that if a prime Rodger Federer walked on that court during this time period, he would absolutely murder either of these two guys!

[@gotflavor1]

What surface is this?

[@VoltagePurple]

Synthetic green clay. There used to be several events in U.S. played on green clay back in the '80s/early 90's. The WTA event in Charleston is still played on it.

[@enematwatson1357]

Har-Tru Green Clay.

[@BorlandRIP8]

Agassi avait une super coupe de tenancier de bar yougoslave

[@IvanLendl87]

That's right.

[@dexvil_yt2605]

En este torneo Agassi venció a Izaga en semifinales.

[@MrCappon1111]

when I watch lendl I see sampras and federer but the later ones in turbo mode.

[@chand28]

If u read his autobiography he said he wore jeans because he was playing against a chump.

[@83JustSomeGuy]

That mullet.

[@hellovanite]

Those pants

[@SOYCD99]

And I thought Nadal was crazy wearing 3/4 pants

[@robocop5935]

Hey all you tennis judges. Lendl owns a young pup punk agassi. But if lendl played the reborn shaved hair agassi from 94 to 2000. Agassi would have owned lendl.

[@guimov1984]

this surface....is it a "usa clay"? faster than the real clay i mean?

[@VoltagePurple]

This surface is Har Tru synthetic clay. I've never played on it, but my understanding is that is faster than natural clay. It's still used for the WTA Charleston tournament. One fun thing about this era is that tournaments used many more varied surfaces, like synthetic clay, fast grass, and indoor carpet.

[@guimov1984]

@@VoltagePurple yes. now the us open has got the fastest surface. even the grass has been a lot reduced speed since 2000.

[@Robearwgl]

nobody could've told Arthur how to pronounce his name?

[@uncletony6210]

that's how it was thought to be pronounced when he first came up, kinda like McEnroe used to be Mik-en-roe

[@Robearwgl]

i think I remember that

[@zeddeka]

Again, no real game plan from Agassi at all against Lendl other than to try and out slug him, which was never going to work.

[@TomSmith-sj2zq]

crazy...he was allowed to play with those pants...he innovated but i stlll think i was wrong...showed a lack of respect for the officials.

[@TomSmith-sj2zq]

...sorry...he was cold...he needed the pants....but lendl seemed allright...lendl was legend.

[@uncletony6210]

in the olden days EVERYONE wore pants. short pants would've been disrespectful.

[@kingtyomama6564]

Agassi wishin he was a roadie for Warrant or Stryker back in the day....

[@Vipa567]

"forehand and a haircut" lol

[@pablotupone4190]

this is a defunt torunament, right???

[@retrobrothers7585]

What in the f*ck is Agassi wearing?

[@Robean15]

Who won? Lendl?

[@snus-evald3118]

+Robean15 Lendl won 6-2, 6-3 if i remember correct.

[@Robean15]

Robinho6217 Thank you ;)

[@marianpalko2531]

11:58 15:46 Lendl serve

[@joaquingonzalo1945]

Wtf pants is Aggasi wearing ?

[@tenmozek]

lendl and his strings ... the only competitive advantage he had.....

[@fernandodimartino4713]

Y esos pantalones?

[@tigerbalm666]

Lendl is using a aluminum racket

[@eltravo2112]

He used an Adidas racket back then. He may have also used Mizuno later on.

[@overkongen34]

The Adidas was basically the same frame he used earlier - a Kneissl White Star.

[@arfmiz7214]

.. und das in Trainingshose ... :)

[@夜明けのヴァン-y1o]

I play to win ・・・Lendl

[@Woodland26]

is modern day tennis a lot faster than this era? This seems quite slow after watching Nadal and Federer. I played with wooden racquets in the 80s and this is the way as I remember.

[@briangottfried8533]

Lendl aurait dû gagné Roland Garros 89 très facilement. ..au vu de sa forme printanière,le titre parisien ne pouvait pas lui échapper. ...il aurait dû battre très facilement Chang,Agenor et Chesnokov avant sa finale face à Edberg. ..le tchécoslovaque aurait sans doute écrasé Edberg

[@SonateSonate]

ça fait beaucoup de conndditionnel tout ça

[@fernandodimartino4713]

Agassi con pelo largo