#tennis

The day after I turn pro, Philly gets a call from Nike. They want to meet with me about an endorsement deal. Philly and I meet the Nike man in Newport beach, at a restaurant called the Rusty Pelican. His name is Ian Hamilton. I call him Mr. Hamilton, but he says I should call him Ian. He smiles in a way that makes me trust him instantly. Philly, however, remains wary. Boys, Ian says, I think Andre has a very bright future. Thank you. I'd like Nike to be a part of that future, to be a partner in that future. Thank you. I'd like to offer you a two-year contract. Thank you. During which time Nike will provide all your gear, and pay you $20,ooo. For both years? For eacvh year. Ah. Philly jumps in. What would Andre have to do in exchange for this money? Ian looks confused. Well, he says, Andre would have to do what Andre has been doing, son. Keep being Andre. And wear Nike stuff. ↗

— Andre Agassi

#money

...we start the year on the other side of the world, at the Australian Open, and then just chase the sun. ↗

— Andre Agassi

#romantic

First of all, let me say, 1:15 in the morning, for 20,000 people to still be here, I wasn't the winner, tennis was. That's awesome. I don't know if I've ever felt so good here before. ↗

— Andre Agassi

#before #ever #felt #first #first of all

This was a special week and a special victory for me. I played some great tennis. ↗

— Marin Cilic

#i #me #played #some #special

I began playing in the Pacific Coast Indoor Tennis Championships. ↗

— Tracy Austin

#championships #coast #i #indoor #pacific

I started tennis around age 2. ↗

— Tracy Austin

#around #i #started #tennis

To meet my goals, I couldn't let up when I was playing tennis. ↗

— Tracy Austin

#i #meet #playing #tennis #up

My father actually moved out from Chicago just so he could play tennis 365 days a year, so it was - it was a place we played every day. We played before school. We played after school. We woke up. We played tennis. We brushed our teeth in that order. ↗

— Andre Agassi

#actually #after #before #brushed #chicago

Tennis was always sort of a - a learning. It was a vehicle for me to discover a lot about myself. And the things that I sort of discovered at times I not only didn't want to see it for myself but I certainly didn't want millions of people to see it. ↗

— Andre Agassi

#always #certainly #discover #discovered #i

You don't need to know who's playing on the White House tennis court to be a good president. ↗

— James Baker

#good #house #know #need #playing