Andre Agassi - USA 
| Birth Date:
| 4/29/1970 |
Age:
| 42 |
| Birth Place:
| Las Vegas, Nevada |
Residence:
| Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Height:
| 5'11" (180 cm) |
Weight:
| 177 lbs (80 kg) |
| Year Turned Pro:
| 1986 (26 years on tour) |
Plays:
| Right-handed |
| Official Website:
| http://www.andreagassi.com/ |
Twitter:
| @AgassiAndre |
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Andre Agassi brought a remarkable flair, both early and late in his career, to the court.
Known for his rebellious status early on, he made one of the most spectacular and unlikely comebacks, achieving a place in the pantheon of American sports heroes like few tennis players before him.
In all, he racked up eight Grand Slam singles titles, four of those at the Australian Open (1995, 2000, 2001, 2003), the second-most in that tournament’s history. He won Wimbledon in 1992, the US Open in 1994, and completed his career Grand Slam with a win at the French Open in 1999, which he then followed up by winning the US Open again.
Agassi reached 90 finals in his career, winning 60 of them, along with one doubles crown and more than $31 million in prize money.
He made his debut at age 16, and won his first ATP title in 1987. He burst onto the scene in earnest in 1988, winning six titles among seven finals and by age 18 had semifinal appearances in both the French and US Opens. He finished the year ranked third, one of 16 seasons in which he would finish in the Top 10. In 1989 he won just one title, but reached new highs in 1990, reaching the finals of the French and US Opens, losing the latter to Pete Sampras, starting a massive rivalry between the two.
Agassi won the inaugural ATP world Championship, defeating Boris Becker in the semifinals and Stefan Edberg in the final on his way to finishing No. 4 at year’s end. He reached the final of the French Open again in 1991, losing to Jim Courier, then won his first Grand Slam title in 1992. At Wimbledon, he defeated a pair of three-time champions – Boris Becker and John McEnroe – before besting Goran Ivanisevic in a five-set final. It was one of three titles on the year for the No. 9 player in the world. He fell to 24th in 1993 and ended the year with surgery on his right wrist.
He returned strong from it in 1994, winning five titles including the US Open, where he defeated Michael Stich. He finished No. 2 on the year, a feat he repeated in 1995 while going 73-9, spending 30 weeks at No. 1 and winning 26 straight matches at one point before falling to Sampras in the final of the US Open. He went 2-2 on the year against Sampras in finals, beating him at Miami and Montreal. Agassi fell to No. 8 by the end of 1996, but became the first American man to win the gold medal at the Summer Olympics (held in Atlanta) in 72 years.
He plummeted as low as No. 141 in 1997, winning a tournament via wild card at the year’s end to get back to No. 110. He followed this swan dive with the biggest one-year jump into the Top 10 in the history of the ATP Rankings. He finished the year No. 6 with an overall record of 68-16 and won five titles. He made the comeback even more remarkable in 1999, finishing No. 1 for the first time in his career and going a staggering 23-2 at the Slams. He won the French Open for the first time ever, reached the Wimbledon final (losing to Sampras), then defeating Todd Martin for the US Open crown. He was the first male in six years to reach three consecutive Grand Slam finals, and the oldest player since Ivan Lendl in 1989 to end the year No. 1. At the French Open, he became just the third player in Open Era history to overcome a two-set deficit in the final. He returned to No. 1 on Sept. 13 and held the spot the rest of the year.
His stunning run continued as 2000 dawned. He won the Australian Open, defeating Sampras in a five-set semifinal and became the first player to reach four straight Grand Slam finals since Rod Laver in 1969. He ended the year ranked sixth. In 2001, he became the oldest player (at age 31) to finish in the year-end Top 3 since Jimmy Connors did it at age 32 in 1984. Agassi won the Australian Open for a third time and was the only player on the ATP circuit to reach at least the quarterfinals in all four Grand Slam events. In March, he won at Indian Wells for the first time, besting Sampras in the final. In 2002, he finished No. 2, the oldest player (32 years, eight months) to do so in the history of the ATP Rankings. He won five titles in all, but no Grand Slams, falling in the final of the US Open to Sampras. He missed his favorite, the Australian, with a right wrist injury.
He returned for the Australian Crown in 2003, the last Grand Slam he would ever win. He became the oldest player to hold the ATP Ranking (33 years, 13 days) on May 11, and held on to it for 14 weeks. He finished the year ranked No. 2, the oldest player to ever do so. He finished fourth in 2003, the oldest player in the Top 5 since Connors (35) finished No. 4 in 1987. He finished eighth in 2004 and seventh in 2005, the last of his 16 seasons in the Top 10.
In 2005, he defeated three straight opponents in five sets before falling to Roger Federer in four sets in the semifinals. Injuries began to add up for Agassi in 2006, and he ended his career at the US Open, with a third-round loss to Benjamin Becker.
Career Grand Slam Titles Won
Singles (8): Australian Open (1995, 2000, 2001, 2003); French Open (1999); Wimbledon (1992); US Open (1994, 1999).
Year-End Singles Rankings: 1985 – 618th; 1986 - 91st; 1987 – 25th; 1988 – 3rd; 1989 – 7th; 1990 – 4th; 1991 -10th; 1992 – 9th; 1993 – 24th; 1994 – 2nd; 1995 – 2nd; 1996 – 8th; 1997 – 110th; 1998 – 6th; 1999 – 1st; 2000 – 6th; 2001 – 3rd; 2002 – 2nd; 2003 – 4th; 2004 – 8th; 2005 – 7th; 2006 – 150th; 2007 – 413th.
Personal
Coached by Nick Bolletieri during his youth, and worked with Bollettieri until 1993. Started the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation in 1994 to assist at-risk children in Las Vegas. In 2001, the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, a charter school, opened in Las Vegas for grades 3-5. The school now has grades 3-12. In 1997, the Andre Agassi Boys & Girls Club opened after a contribution of $1.25 million was made. He married actress Brooke Shields in 1997, but the marriage lasted just short of two years. Agassi married WTA legend Steffi Graf in 2001, and the couple has two children – Jaden Gil (born 2001) and Jaz Elle (born 2003). In 2009, Agassi’s autobiography “Open” was released, reaching No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list. In the book, Agassi admitted his long haircut worn early in his career was a wig, and that he had tested positive for drugs in 1997.
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