I have started to think like a loser. My tennis partner has pulled to a three-game lead. I want to ask Andre Agassi what to do. Agassi is the game’s toughest fighter. He is also one of sport’s great philanthropists. He could surely give me advice.

As I am shown into his suite at the Savoy hotel in London, I am wondering how I can ease him into it. Agassi is surrounded by business associates and PRs. He is here to promote his post-tennis career as a developer of top-end property in Idaho. As he stands to greet me, smiling broadly, I see that 15 months into his retirement, he is in peak condition. The physical grace he displayed on court is still in evidence as he leads me through the suite, right up until he walks into the coffee table.