John McEnroe once made a humorous observation about his practice sessions with Andre Agassi before the 1992 Wimbledon Championships.

Agassi and McEnroe formed a formidable doubles partnership at the 1992 French Open, making a run to the quarterfinals of the claycourt Major. Subsequently, the duo regularly practiced together in London to gear up for Wimbledon. While McEnroe aimed to win his fourth title at the grasscourt Major, Agassi sought his first.

Andre Agassi was very appreciative of their practice sessions, expressing appreciation for John McEnroe’s guidance on how to adapt his game for grass.

“Mac told me I didn’t have to serve and volley to win with my game. He shortened my stroke, showed me how on the grass every point counts and the importance of staying in points. I don’t know why, but I really like the guy,” Andre Agassi said (via Sports Illustrated).

McEnroe, meanwhile, shared a more humorous perspective on their training sessions, hilariously remarking that while younger players often spoke highly about getting the chance to play him, their actual aim was to beat him in a convincing fashion.

“That’s garbage. These young guys always say how honored they are to play me, when what they really want to do is kick my a**,” McEnroe said.

Andre Agassi went on to dominate his encounter against John McEnroe in the 1992 Wimbledon semifinals, beating his compatriot 6-4, 6-2, 6-3. Subsequently, Agassi claimed a hard-fought 6-7(8), 6-4, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 win over Goran Ivanisevic in the final to clinch his maiden Grand Slam title.

“I gave young Andre Agassi a hug at the net, and said, ‘Why did you listen so well?'” – John McEnroe on their 1992 Wimbledon SF clash

John McEnroe wrote about his 1992 Wimbledon semifinal loss to Andre Agassi in his book, ‘You Cannot Be Serious,’ admitting that he had been unable to counter his compatriot’s “blistering” return and powerful groundstrokes.

“As in certain key matches in the past, I would need all my energy for playing. In the end, I was simply unable to find the answer to Agassi’s blistering returns of serve, and to his big groundstrokes. He seemed to take the ball on as short a rise as I ever had in my prime, and to hit it twice as hard,” he wrote.

He also revealed the details of their conversation at the net, sharing that he had jokingly chided Agassi for learning too much from the grasscourt tips he had given him.

“The final score was 6–4, 6–2, 6–3. I gave young Andre a hug at the net, and said, ‘Why did you listen so well?’ A couple of weeks earlier, I had given him some grass-court tips, and I now saw that he had been all too astute a pupil,” McEnroe wrote.

“Here was a kind of sweet poetic justice: In my final Wimbledon singles match, I was teaching manners to the next generation,” he added.

McEnroe’s loss to Agassi marked his last appearance at the Wimbledon Championships.