Agassi's affinity for New Zealand

Andre Agassi says his love of New Zealand and affection for Kiwi tennis players was one of the reasons he agreed to do an interview with Fairfax.

"I love New Zealand, I've been there a couple of times to go heli-boarding and the place left an indelible mark on me.

"And my fans down there are as solid as they are anywhere in the world."

In his book, Agassi recounts one of his first professional wins being over Russell Simpson and he also spent a lot of time with Kelly Evernden.

"I remember Kelly from really young days. With him, you always knew what you got, he spoke his mind and there was a level of respect you had for that.

"I knew Russell very little - I was a little bit too young but he treated me very well and Brett Steven was one of the great guys on the tour.

"The guys from New Zealand just had a great style and that's one of the reasons I'm connecting with New Zealand now."