The MGM Rewards Slam at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino was the place to be for tennis fans on March 1. The high-profile exhibition match saw eight-time Grand Slam champion Andre Agassi join forces with World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to take on Naomi Osaka and Mardy Fish in an exciting doubles showdown. Agassi, hyped up his team’s chances before the match. “We’re better because of my partner; I’m already sweating being this close to her,” he quipped. And they delivered.! With Sabalenka’s explosive game on his side, the American legend made sure to put on a show. And the cherry on the top was his daughter, Jaz Agassi, was right there cheering him on from the stands.
Originally planned as a two-day event, the MGM Rewards Slam had its second day postponed indefinitely. But the opening night delivered, with Agassi and Sabalenka outplaying Osaka and Fish in a thrilling match.
Jaz Agassi was in the arena to support her father and Sabalenka in their mixed doubles match against Osaka and Fish. She even took to social media and shared a video of Agassi playing alongside the Belarusian tennis player. After the match, she also posted an endearing picture of herself posing with Aryna Sabalenka on her Instagram story.
The couple got married in 2001 at their Las Vegas home and have two children together. Their son, Jaden Gil Agassi, was born on October 26, 2001, and pursued a career in sports like his parents, playing baseball and is a pitcher for the University of Southern California’s Trojans. Meanwhile, their daughter, Jaz Elle Agassi, was born on October 3, 2003, and keeps a low profile on social media. Jaz recently also made a public appearance with her older brother Jaden to witness their parents compete at Pickleball Slam 3. where Agassi and Graf joined together to defeat Andy Roddick and Eugenie Bouchard. The family posed together after their victory.
At the Las Vegas exhibition Agassi and Sabalenka not only crushed in their doubles match, but the World No.1 also took on Osaka in singles. The World No.1 claimed a 6-4, 6-3 win to take home the trophy. Watching the Belarusian’s game closely has got Agassi pinpointing what the World No.1 could improve.
Andre Agassi points out what is ‘unnecessary’ in Aryna Sabalenka’s game
Aryna Sabalenka started the year strong reaching the Australian Open final for the third time. However, she couldn’t complete a three-peat as Madison Keys surprised her and took the trophy. Since then, there has been a dip in the World No.1’s form with her making a shocking revelation of not being “hungry” on the court anymore. After the Australian Open, she faced a first-round defeat against Ekaterina Alexandrova. She later participated in Dubai but lost in the second round to Clara Tauson.
Talking about her game Agassi said, “Aryna, the power she can hit the ball is remarkable. Backhand is very solid, forehand a bomb. I think she swings at it 100% and that is a great thing to watch but an unnecessary thing to do because her 85% would get even better direction and would be incredibly effective still.” He also noted the change her serve and said, “Her serve, she has changed her toss and put it down a lot, this year it looks like it has crept back up a bit. So I don’t know what is going on, I’ll check that out!”
The World No.1 will be seen competing at the Indian Wells commencing on March 5, where the top seed’s best outing came in 2023 when she finished as the runner-up losing to Elena Rybakina in the finals. Will Sabalenka take Agassi’s advice and tweak her approach, or will she stick to her high-powered game?
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