Biography
Andre Agassi was born April 29, 1970 in Las Vegas, Nevada. His Iranian-born father Mike Agassi was an Olympic boxer in 1948 and 1952. Andre, the youngest of 4 children, was deemed a tennis prodigy at age three.
By age 13, Agassi was enrolled at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida. It was there that he honed his skills. Under the tutelage of Bollettieri, Agassi turned pro at the age of 16 in 1986. He took the tour circuit by storm, with his fluorescent outfits and long hair.
roller coaster of success
But Agassi's success was not what many thought it should be. In 1988, he was ranked 4th in the world, but by 1992 he still had not won a Grand Slam event. Agassi entered the 1992 Wimbledon Open, seeded 12th. But he went on to upset Boris Becker, John McEnroe and Goran Ivanisevic to capture his first Grand Slam title. Moments after winning, Agassi revealed his emotions as he fell to his knees and cried.
After a terrible year in 1993, critics began to wonder whether Agassi had reached his full potential and was on his way down. Agassi hired former player Brad Gilbert as his coach for the 1994 season. The dividends paid off immediately, as he became the first unseeded player since 1930 to win the US Open. This newfound confidence continued on as Agassi posted a 73-9 record in 1995, which resulted in winning the Australian Open and reaching the top ranked position in the world.
Agassi's 1996 was bittersweet. He did not win a Grand Slam event (losing in the semi-finals at the US Open), but did win the gold medal at the Olympics. Being able to win a medal on American soil was a dream come true for him.
love, down and out
In 1997, after marrying Brooke Shields and then injuring his wrist, Agassi did not play in many tournaments. His ranking slipped all the way down to 141st in the world. Determined to climb up the ranking ladder once more, Agassi got himself into better physical condition in 1998 and played in more tournaments.
He filed for divorce from Shields in April 1999. In June of that year, Agassi became only the 5th player in history to win all four Grand Slams. By the end of 1999, he was ranked number one in the world once more.
In February of 2000, Agassi again captured the Australian Open. He has continued his hot play to this day, remaining a top 5 player in the world.
On a personal note, Agassi married fellow tennis player Steffi Graf in Fall 2001, october 21, in Las Vegas and a week later on october 26, the couple welcomed a baby into the world named Jaden Gil. Their daughter, Jaz Elle, was born on October 3, 2003.
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