Roger Federer and Andre Agassi’s iconic Dubai heliport exhibition revisted
Dubai is a city known for its glamour and excess, and its tennis tournament has become one of the biggest and most prestigious on the ATP and WTA Tours.
The event has been a mainstay on the ATP Tour since it first launched in 1993 and has produced an array of legendary champions, including Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal.
However, the event’s most famous moment did not come on court but instead came over 200m up in the air at an iconic city landmark, pitting Federer against fellow icon Andre Agassi in a battle for the ages.
Two superstars collide
The choice of Federer and Agassi to be the two players to face off in this exhibition must have been an easy one for organisers.
An eight-time Grand Slam winner and still a top-10 player, Agassi had been the biggest tennis star of his generation and, at the time, was one of just two men in the Open Era to win all four majors.
Meanwhile, Federer was at the absolute peak of his powers.
This Swiss sat clear at the top of the ATP Rankings and had won four of the last six Grand Slam titles on offer, including triumphs at Wimbledon and US Open across the previous 12 months.
Federer was also the two-time defending champion at the ATP 500 event, though Agassi was making his event debut.
The venue
Dubai is not short of famous hotels, though the Burj Al Arab is one of the most high-profile.
Built on an artificial island, the hotel opened in 1999 and is 321m tall, with the top floor of the hotel at 197m up.
However, the Burj Al Arab is also famous for its helipad, standing at 210m up in the air – and it was here that Federer and Agassi would face off.
The meeting
Unsurprisingly, the two tennis legends did not play a full match atop the helipad.
But images of Federer and Agassi rallying attracted huge attention both inside and outside of the tennis world at the time, and are still regularly shared two decades on.
“It was amazing. We had this picture-perfect day, no sand storms, just a clear day, no winds,” said Federer in quotes reported by the ATP.
“I didn’t know at the time, when we were doing this, that it was going to have such an impact. I had an idea of how we could make it better.
“We had a helicopter, which was going to film it all around, [and] really show on what kind of a platform we were playing – instead of just having a picture taken of the hotel.”
Agassi added: “It was an absolutely amazing experience. “When you first get over how high you are and start playing, it’s an absolute joy, and it was a great time.”
ATP Tour News
Joao Fonseca makes ‘unmatched’ claim as he chooses between Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer
The tournament
That was not the only meeting between Agassi and Federer that week – with the pair ultimately meeting in the last four of the singles event.
Federer cruised to a 6-3, 6-1 triumph over the fourth seed, and then defeated eighth seed Ivan Ljubicic in three sets to win his third straight title at the tournament.
The Swiss holds a tournament record of eight titles, also triumphing in 2007, 2012, 2014-15, and 2019.
Meanwhile, Agassi returned to the tournament for a second time in 2006, though suffered a shock second round defeat to Bjorn Phau.
It proved to be his final showing in Dubai, calling time on his career later that year.
Read Next: The 5 men who have won the most hard-court ATP 500 titles: Novak Djokovic 2nd, Roger Federer on 21
