Andre Kirk Agassi is a former American professional tennis player and former world No. 1, widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in modern tennis history. Alongside Don Budge, Roy Emerson, Rod Laver, and Fred Perry, he is one of only five players to have won all four Grand Slam titles on four different playing surfaces. Agassi also captured a doubles title at the 1993 Cincinnati Masters with Petr Korda, adding to his versatile legacy.

Born on April 29, 1970, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Agassi was introduced to tennis at an extremely young age by his father, Emmanuel “Mike” Agassian. Obsessed with the idea of raising a Grand Slam champion, his father devised unconventional training methods, including hanging tennis balls above Agassi’s crib to improve hand-eye coordination. By the age of five, Agassi was already practicing with professional players such as Jimmy Connors and Roscoe Tanner.

In 1984, Agassi enrolled at the renowned tennis academy of legendary coach Nick Bollettieri in Florida. He turned professional in 1986 and won his first high-level singles title in 1987 at Itaparica. In 1988, he claimed six additional tournament victories and earned two million dollars in prize money by December, becoming the fastest player in history to reach that financial milestone by doing so in only forty-three tournaments.

Agassi’s rise toward Grand Slam glory continued into the early 1990s. In 1990, he reached his first Grand Slam final at the French Open, where he lost in four sets to Andrés Gómez. Later that year, he was defeated by fellow rising star Pete Sampras at the US Open. In 1991, Agassi reached another French Open final but lost a dramatic five-set match to his former academy teammate Jim Courier.

Between 1988 and 1990, Agassi famously chose not to compete at Wimbledon. He returned to the tournament in 1991, reaching the quarterfinals. His breakthrough on grass came in 1992, when he defeated Goran Ivanišević in a grueling five-set final to win his first Wimbledon title.

Following wrist surgery in 1993, Agassi made a powerful comeback in 1994 by winning the US Open, defeating Michael Stich in the final. In 1995, he captured his first Australian Open title by overcoming Sampras in four sets. That year proved to be the most successful of his career statistically, finishing with a 72–10 win-loss record. He won seven tournaments, including the Australian Open, Cincinnati Masters, Miami Masters, Canada Masters, and the Davis Cup, and reached world No. 1 for the first time in April.

In 1996, Agassi added Olympic gold to his résumé by defeating Spanish player Sergi Bruguera at the Atlanta Olympic Games. However, 1997 marked a dramatic downturn in his career. He failed to win a single title and dropped to world No. 141 by November.

Reinventing himself in 1998, Agassi shaved his head, committed to intense physical conditioning, and competed in Challenger Series events to rebuild his ranking. He won five titles that year and surged from No. 122 to No. 6, achieving one of the greatest comebacks in tennis history.

In 1999, Agassi reached the pinnacle of his career by defeating Andrei Medvedev in a five-set final at the French Open, completing the Career Grand Slam and becoming the first male player to achieve a Career Golden Slam. He later lost the Wimbledon final to Sampras but ended the season as world No. 1 after defeating Todd Martin at the US Open.

Agassi began the 2000 season by winning his second Australian Open title, defeating Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the final. He reached the Wimbledon semifinals before losing to Patrick Rafter. At the Tennis Masters Cup in Lisbon, he advanced to the final by defeating Marat Safin but ultimately lost to Gustavo Kuerten.

In 2001, Agassi successfully defended his Australian Open title by beating Arnaud Clément. That year, he again fell to Rafter at Wimbledon and to Sampras at the US Open. In 2003, he won his eighth and final Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open by defeating Rainer Schüttler. At 33 years and 13 days old, he became the oldest male world No. 1 in tennis history, holding the top ranking for thirteen weeks.

Agassi continued competing at a high level into his mid-thirties. In 2004, he won the Cincinnati Masters, claiming his 59th career singles title and 17th ATP Masters crown. Injuries increasingly affected his performance in 2005 and 2006, forcing multiple withdrawals. In 2006, he ended a 17-year partnership with Nike and signed with Adidas. Persistent wrist, back, and leg injuries ultimately led to his retirement later that year.

Agassi was a key contributor to the United States’ Davis Cup victories in 1990 and 1992. In 1992, he was named the BBC’s “International Sports Personality of the Year.” Over his career, he earned more than $30 million in prize money and an estimated $25 million annually through endorsements, placing him among the highest-earning athletes of his era, trailing only legends such as Tiger Woods.

From 1997 to 1999, Agassi was married to actress Brooke Shields. In 2001, he married former world No. 1 tennis player Steffi Graf. The couple have two children and remain one of the most iconic partnerships in sports history.

Source: Biyografiler.com