"Not that evil man trying to get his way back";"Great, another abuser" - Andre Agassi being joined by Justin Gimelstob at Australian Open angers fans

Andre Agassi's presence at the 2024 Australian Open brought immense joy to the tennis community. However, the presence of former American player Justin Gimelstob alongside him tainted the experience for fans.

Agassi took part in the opening ceremony at the Australian Open, presenting the men's singles trophy. Later, he took in the riveting action during the evening session at Rod Laver Arena.

The eight-time Grand Slam champion witnessed Novak Djokovic's thrilling 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 victory over Dino Prizmic. However, he was joined by Justin Gimelstob in the front row for the match, stirring discontent among tennis fans due to the domestic violence and assault allegations against Gimelstob.

In 2016, Gimelstob's estranged wife, Cary, sought a restraining order against him, accusing him of multiple instances of physical abuse, such as tackling her to the ground and assaulting her in front of their son. The American denied the allegations and counteractively sought a restraining order against Cary.

Subsequently, in 2018, Gimelstob was arrested on felony battery charges for assaulting his former friend, venture capitalist Randy Kaplan, in front of Kaplan's wife and children on Halloween. He was accused of throwing Kaplan to the ground and hitting him 50 times before delivering a death threat.

While Gimelstob initially denied the allegations, he ultimately pleaded "no contest" and was charged with three years of probation and 60 days of community labor. Consequently, the American resigned from the ATP board of directors.

As such, tennis fans were unhappy with his presence at the Australian Open, making their discontent known.

"Not that evil man trying to get his way back into tennis," a fan commented.

"Gimelstob! Great, another abuser," another fan wrote.

Several fans also questioned why Andre Agassi had "willingly" chosen to associate with Gimelstob.

"Imagine having a tennis legacy like Agassi, then showing up to Australia to be feted and have Justin Gimelstob sat beside you WILLINGLY," a fan posted.

"See what I don't get is why these people have no issue associating with these people," another fan chimed in.

Here are a few more reactions from fans:

"Andre Agassi, thank you so much for gracing us and the Australian Open with your presence" - Novak Djokovic after 1R victory

Novak Djokovic and Andre Agassi

Following his thrilling first-round win at the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic expressed his gratitude to his former coach Andre Agassi for gracing the Major with his presence.

The Serb also recalled a particular moment during the match when he looked over at Agassi after striking a forehand winner that was reminiscent of the eight-time Grand Slam champion.

"Of course [I noticed him]. Andre, great to have you, thank you so much for gracing us and the Australian Open with your presence. We haven't seen you in years. Actually, 4-0 and deuce and I made a forehand winner, I smiled at you and I said, 'It's almost like your return,'" Djokovic said in his post-match interview.

Despite joking about losing three straight games after that moment, Djokovic promptly clarified that Andre Agassi wasn't to blame for that. He also disclosed that he felt "inspired" and "overwhelmed" by the American's attendance at the match.

"After that I lost three games in a row, not your fault, my fault. I lost my focus, but you know, I was inspired by your presence and overwhelmed to see you. Thanks for coming out," he added.

Djokovic will take on the winner of the match between Alexei Popyrin and Marc Polmans in the second round of the Australian Open.