For Agassi, it was one of the most extraordinary comebacks in modern tennis: he had slipped from number 1 in the world in to a ranking of two years later, only to rise back up to number 1 in But the star who resented everything in the tennis world managed to find a new motivation to keep going —and a way to transition out of tennis.
In , he opened the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy , a charter school for underprivileged children in his hometown, Las Vegas. Since then, he has partnered with an investment fund and financed the construction of more than 80 charter schools across the U. Brushing away tears to smile for selfies, their disappointment is palpable. Seeing some of the children in Paris being so hard on themselves when they fail brings back memories of his own adolescence, out on the court with no one else to rely on.
You have to have a realistic understanding of what your expectations are, and then focus on getting better, not on winning or losing. Now that Agassi has left the court, he can channel his competitive nature into the foundation—where rewards are shared, and so are disappointments. He describes in harrowing detail the prison created for him by the adults in his life, beginning with his father, who built a backyard court behind their house in the desert outskirts of Las Vegas. He took the top spot at the U.
Open in He was victorious at the Australian Open in , which helped him climb to the top of rankings that year. At the top of his game, Agassi won a gold medal at the Summer Olympics held in Atlanta, Georgia. Off the court, charismatic Agassi's personal life became a popular topic in the tabloids.
He was romantically linked to singer Barbra Streisand before marrying actress Brooke Shields in Beginning in , Agassi went through a difficult patch, both professionally and personally. He failed to win any tournaments that year, and the former number-one player dropped significantly in the rankings. According to his autobiography Open , Agassi had been introduced to crystal meth by a friend. He tested positive for drugs in , but he told the Association of Tennis Professionals that his drug use had been accidental.
Agassi claimed that he had "unwittingly" drank a drug-laced beverage belonging to a friend. Speaking about his drug use, he later told People magazine that "I can't speak to addiction, but a lot of people would say that if you're using anything as an escape, you have a problem. Eventually turning his life around, Agassi launched an impressive comeback in Agassi also made changes in his personal life, divorcing his wife after nearly two years.
He remained focused on his game, allowing him to continue his winning ways. Agassi emerged victorious at the Australian Open in , and By , Agassi's health issues had begun to limit his ability to play. He had been born with spinal abnormality and had to withdraw from several competitions that year because of back problems. Agassi fought for one more Grand Slam title, but it was not to be. On September 4, , Agassi lost his last professional match to Benjamin Becker.
At the end of the match, Agassi said an emotional good-bye to the game and to the roughly 23, people who had packed the stadium to see him play for the last time. He won his first tournament in at the Sul American Open in Itaparica, Brazil over Luiz Mattar, , , and at the conclusion of his first year touring was ranked No.
Some wondered whether there was any playing substance behind the flash. Agassi returned to the French final in but his bid for a major title was derailed by his former Bollettieri Academy roommate Courier, , , , , He was seeded No. He faced big-serving Croatian Goran Ivanisevic in the finals and outlasted the powerful lefty, , , , , After winning the match he dropped to his knees in tearful joy.
His road to a Career Grand Slam had one notch in its belt. The second notch was earned in his ninth attempt at the US Open, when he became the first man to capture the event as an unseeded player, defeating German Michael Stich in the final, , , Along the way, Agassi defeated five seeded players.
He won his third major the following January at the Australian Open — the first of his four titles in Melbourne — registering his lone major triumph over Sampras, , , , Agassi and Sampras were as disparate as classical music and hard rock. They met 34 times, Sampras holding a lead, and prevailing at the majors, winning the US Open , , , the US Open , , , , Wimbledon in , , and at the US Open in , , , He does practically everything better than anybody else. In his career, he held the world No.
From to , he was ranked in the World Top 10 on 16 occasions. Fame and celebrity placed Agassi in the spotlight, and led to his personal life becoming tabloid fodder. He wed Steffi Graf in , forming a marriage with 31 major titles and two Gold Medals..
From to , Agassi hit a difficult patch in his professional and personal life, but overcame those obstacles to win two major titles in The first at the French in a colossal comeback victory over Andriy Medvedev , , , , and the US Open in a grueling five-setter against fellow American Todd Martin , , , , The Australian Open proved to be his most successful major, as Agassi won the , , and event, knocking off Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov , , , , Frenchman Amaud Clement , , , and German Rainer Schuttler , , respectively.
Agassi won 26 straight matches at the Australian second best in history , 27 consecutive sets fourth best , four titles third best , and compiled an all-time best record His play at the Australian combined with a record at the US Open, earned him a career hard court major victories, second best in history, and a record, seventh best all-time. Injuries, especially recurring back pain, began to hobble Agassi in , his last season on tour. Agassi made one final dramatic run at the US Open that year, winning his first round in four sets over Romanian Andrei Pavel and second round in an upset over No.
As he fought back constant tears and blew kisses to the adoring crowd, Agassi received a four-minute standing ovation in his last professional event. During his career, and particularly since retirement, Agassi has focused on philanthropic ventures primarily in the areas of children and education. Accept and Close. Search Support. Hall of Famers. Hours and Admission. Hall of Fame Open. Private Event Rentals. In the Museum. Digital Exhibits. Breaking the Barriers.
Tins, Cans and Cartons. Information Research Center. Historic Grounds. Tennis in Newport.
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