Taipei, May 26 (CNA) Tennis greats
visiting Taiwan for a series of exhibition matches said Saturday that
they were feeling nostalgic after playing in front of an enthusiastic
crowd.
After a laughter-laden mixed doubles, in which Martina
Hingis and Goran Ivanisevic beat Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi 6-3, the
foursome joked about their rivalry of the old days but did not forget to
recognize one another's achievements.
Asked in a post-match
press conference how she compared Saturday's showdown against Graf with
the one at the 1999 French Open, Hingis jokingly shifted the spotlight
to Ivanisevic.
"I cried in 1999, did you cry at Wimbledon?" the
Swiss asked, referring to both their unsuccessful bids in Grand Slam
championships against their rivals -- the "golden couple" who were
sitting right nextto them.
In 1999, Graf conquered Hingis in
Paris to claim her last major title, while Agassi won his first Grand
Slam in the 1992 Wimbledon final, beating Ivanisevic in five sets.
"There
were so many great memories," said the Croatian, adding that he felt
great pleasure playing again with Agassi, especially in front of
exuberant local fans.
Likewise, Agassi and Graf said they had
had a great time in Taiwan, picking up old memories with their former
foes and enjoying Taiwanese hospitality.
"It has been incredible," said Graf, who promised fans earlier on court that her stay in Taiwan "will not be the last time."
The audience were treated to a hilarious 40-minute mixed doubles, bursting into laughter whenever an impromptu act took place.
At
one point at the match, Agassi and Graf exchanged a kiss over a winner.
Hingis also jokingly chased Ivanisevic around the court for an error he
made.
The stellar line-up even helped one local fan propose to
his girlfriend, with Agassi playfully suggesting that the girl should
turn him down.
Attendance at the event was reported by the
organizers to be 7,000 --only around 60 percent of the capacity of the
Taipei Arena. Tickets prices ranged between NT$800 (US$27) and NT$10,000.
A similar event last year featuring Agassi and Russian great Marat Safin attracted more than 9,000 people.
focustaiwan.tw
*groan* That 1999 Graf final is gonna haunt her for the rest of her life. But it's good to see she's got a sense of humor about it all.
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