Andre Agassi

Andre Agassi, born in 1970, American tennis player, one of the few men’s players to earn victories at each of the four major professional tennis tournaments: the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the United States Open. Agassi’s flair for showmanship made him one of the most popular players of the 1990s.

Andre Kirk Agassi was born in Las Vegas, Nevada. Trained by his father, a former world-class boxer, he began playing tennis as a toddler. By the time he was 12 years old he had practiced with noted professional players such as Björn Borg and Jimmy Connors. After receiving coaching at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida, Agassi turned professional in 1986 and won his first title in 1987.

Agassi became known for his powerful, aggressive forehand, and in 1988 he won several tournaments, including the Volvo International and the United States clay court championships. He continued his success over the next few years, rising in the professional rankings, helping the United States capture the Davis Cup in 1990 and 1992, and winning his first grand slam title at Wimbledon in 1992.

Although Agassi could be temperamental and his play was sometimes erratic, he became popular with fans. His flamboyant personality and on-court success gained him lucrative product endorsements. In 1993, however, Agassi’s ranking dropped after he underwent surgery and was unable to maintain a full schedule of tournaments. He subsequently rededicated himself to tennis, winning the 1994 U.S. Open as an unseeded player.

In 1995 Agassi continued to moderate his public image and to improve his play. He won the 1995 Australian Open and played on the Davis Cup team. At the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, Agassi won the gold medal in tennis. After another precipitous drop in the rankings in 1997 he made another comeback, winning the 1999 French Open to join Don Budge, Roy Emerson, Rod Laver, and Fred Perry as the only players to win the men's singles title at each of the four grand slam tournaments.

Agassi continued his success by winning the U.S. Open in 1999 and the Australian Open in 2000, 2001, and 2003. In 2005 the 35-year-old Agassi became the oldest male tennis player in more than three decades to reach the U.S. Open singles final, but he lost the title match to Switzerland’s Roger Federer in four sets. Agassi announced the 2006 U.S. Open would be his last tournament and retired after defeat in the third round. He is married to former women’s tennis star Steffi Graf.