Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick have been named in a four-player lineup at the 2024 Cincinnati Open Legends Match as part of the event’s famed Community Day.
The Cincinnati Open, formerly known as the Western & Southern Open, is the last Masters 1000 tournament before the US Open. Main draw action is slated to begin on August 12th. The ATP and WTA entry lists for this year’s edition have been revealed.
Agassi and Roddick will lock horns once again on a tennis court in a men’s doubles match. The tournament has announced in its X account that former Top 10 players John Isner and Mardy Fish will complete the setup.
Agassi will team up with Isner, who retired from professional tennis after last year’s US Open. Roddick, meanwhile, will partner Fish. Two WTA legends and former World No. 1s have been listed as special guests.
There are very few combinations bigger than Steffi Graf and Lindsay Davenport. The 2004 Cincinnati champion Davenport, who works as a pundit for Tennis Channel and also serves as the USA’s new Billie Jean King Cup team captain, will be the chair umpire for this marquee exhibition match.
22-time Grand Slam champion Graf, who is married to Agassi, will be tasked to provide courtside commentary without bias. The Legends Match is a fitting way to celebrate the tournament’s 125th anniversary and which will kick off the tournament proper.
“A clash of American legends. Andre Agassi and John Isner are going head to head against Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish during the Legends Exhibition match on Saturday, August 10. Special guests Stefanie Graf and Lindsay Davenport will help officiate and commentate the match.”
“Tickets to the Legends Exhibition match on Community Day are available now!”
Agassi And Roddick Rekindle Rivalry After Last Year’s Pickleball Slam
The opening weekend of the Cincinnati Open will feature a slew of qualifying matches. The presence of tennis legends Agassi and Roddick will also headline it.
Although the pair don’t have a prolific rivalry in the traditional sense since both played in different eras, they met six times on the ATP Tour in the early noughties (2000-2004).
Remarkably, five of those six matches were contested on US soil, with Agassi fittingly winning their last hea-dot-head clash at the 2004 Cincinnati Open in three sets. Overall, the eight-time Grand Slam champion leads their series 5-1.
Despite their differences in success and playing style, the two Americans have a lot in common. They have won the Cincinnati Open multiple times during their heydays.
Agassi and Roddick teamed during the first edition of the Pickleball Slam last year and defeated John McEnroe and Michael Chang to win a lucrative $1 million pay package.
Tickets for their doubles confrontation in August are already on sale. Community Day is such an important occasion in Cincinnati. It gives tennis fans early access to the grounds, allows them to watch player practice sessions from close quarters, and to witness this special event.
All proceeds from the Legends Match will benefit charities, the tournament has confirmed.
