Former eight-time Grand Slam winner Andre Agassi has declared that the top players in men's tennis have created a "golden age" for the sport.
Agassi is back at the Australian Open this week for the first time since his retirement in 2006 and will present the men's singles title to either Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer or Andy Murray on Sunday.
The four-time champion at Melbourne Park believes that all three players continue to push the standard of play beyond anything he experienced during his distinguished career.
He told reporters: "It's been amazing watching the standard continually sort of get better. You wonder how it's possible, you know, to continue at that sort of rate.
"I mean, what Federer did when he came and when I said goodbye, a lot had to do with what I knew was untouchable. It's just a different standard of tennis. It's a remarkable era. They've separated themselves from the field and they've done it arguably almost overnight.
"You know, Federer raised it, Rafael Nadal matched and raised it and then Djokovic raised it again. It seemed like last year it settled down a bit, and now all of a sudden Murray is in the equation of where is he going to go. But when I see those top three guys, I see what history will say is the golden age of tennis."
The 42-year-old has tipped Djokovic to retain his Aussie Open title as the Serb waits to find out whether he will play Murray or Federer in Sunday's final.
Liam Power
