Even those who are far from tennis most likely know Andre Agassi. He has always been known for his aggressive playing style with brilliant coordination. And the girls went crazy with his incredibly beautiful eyes and long dyed hair. However, even with a shaved head, Andre did not stop attracting glances. On the court he was nicknamed "The Punisher", but in life he was a playboy. He was never afraid to defy the rules, refused to play because of the Wimbledon dress code and advertised McDonald's, which did not fit at all with sporty style. In his autobiographical book, the champion spoke about his addiction to drugs. Despite this, Andre Agassi remains one of the greatest tennis players of all time with 8 Grand Slam titles.

Career from 2 years old

Andre Agassi was born on April 29, 1970 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. His father Emmanuel "Mike", a former Olympic boxer, immigrated from Iran and married Elizabeth Dudley. Mike claimed to have Armenian roots, and initially their last name sounded like Aghasyan.

Already at the age of two, Andre could serve a tennis ball quite accurately. All thanks to his father, who built a court near the house and became the first coach for his youngest son. At the age of thirteen, Andre was sent to a tennis camp in Florida. Being in the ninth grade, he rebelled, as befits a teenager. The athlete dyed his hair, pierced his ears and dressed like a punk rocker. By the time he turned professional at age sixteen, his new take on the game promised to change tennis forever.

Professional and brawler Andre Agassi

The tennis player has been a professional for 30 years. The beginning of his incredible career was marked by a victory over John Austin, but then Andre lost. However, having started in 1986 at 310th in the rankings, he ended the year already in the top 100.

The next 7 victories stretched until 2003. Andre beat Andrey Medvedev, Evgeny Kafelnikov and three other eminent athletes. However, this period was not smooth. Agassi plunged headlong into advertising contracts with the already mentioned fast food restaurant chain, Canon, Dupont, and many others. He even gave himself a vacation in 1993 by buying a private jet. His first coach, Nick Bolletieri, left because of this loose behavior.

Nike Andre Agassi

Nike proudly supported Agassi early in his career in 1988. They saw the potential of one of the greatest players in tennis history. The winner of at least 60 different tournaments, Agassi was and remains an incredibly charismatic personality. Therefore, Nike was incredibly happy when the athlete returned to work with them in 2013 after a deal with. The co-founder of Nike spoke very warmly about the tennis player:

“As one of the world's greatest tennis players, Agassi embodied the passion, dedication and determination of the Nike brand. As a philanthropist and agitator, he continues to inspire the younger generation with his Just Do It spirit. We are honored to welcome him."

Over the years of collaboration, many Nike Andre Agassi signature sneakers have been introduced. Among them are Air Trainer 1, black and white Nike Air Flair, Nike Zoom Challenge, Nike Air Challenge Huarache and perhaps the most famous Nike Air Tech Challenge 2.

Back in 1990, Nike was put on an Air Tech Challenge II athlete. They tied several styles together, including the Air Jordan 4 silhouette, which was at the pinnacle of basketball around the same time. The ATC2 has been successfully re-released in recent years, including in the White/Green Liquid Lime colorway.

Sneakers for Andre Agassi

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Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf

In the 90s, Andre excelled not only on the court. He dated actress and singer Barbara Streisand. In his biography, the tennis player writes that “We are good for each other, and what if she is twenty-eight years older? We're pretty and the public outcry spices up our connection. It makes our friendship feel taboo, taboo, another piece of my shared rebellion."

Agassi is credited with many romances with stars, but the playboy himself does not confirm them. In the late 90s, he was married to Brooke Shields, but their marriage only lasted two years. After that, the champion began to meet with German tennis player Steffi Graf.

They were the darlings of Center Court at Wimbledon in 1992, where they both won. And they agreed after 7 years at the French Open, where, by the way, they also won the title. Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf got married in 2001 at their home in Las Vegas. For the bride, the athlete bought a villa in San Francisco, because at that time his fortune was already estimated at $ 200 million. The couple is still happily together and has two children, Jaden Gil and Jazz Eli Agassi.

Andre Agassi children

André and Steffi are an incredible power couple for the sport of the world, and undoubtedly the greatest pairing of the gene. Their children could become new tennis stars. But Agassi declares that they will never play.

“Jaden and the Jazz have zero interest in the game. Tennis? I just think we've had enough, to be honest," says Agassi.

Jaden has shown a passion for baseball and uses his father's coordination to hit opponents on the field. Daughter Jazz is engaged in horse riding and hip-hop dancing.

Today, the Agassi family runs a serious business, they have an entire empire that includes restaurants, nightclubs and sports clubs, as well as real estate and construction. The couple together were the face of Longines Swiss watches, and Andre himself is considered one of the highest paid athletes in the world.

April 29 marks the 45th birthday of tennis legend Andre Agassi. "SE" recalls the best of the biography of an American.

BEST ACHIEVEMENTS

Andre Agassi got acquainted with a tennis ball in the cradle, picked up a racket, barely learning to walk, and by the age of four he mastered all the main blows. At age 14, he won the U.S. National 16-year-old championship, and at less than 16, he began a professional career that lasted two decades.

Agassi is the owner of 60 titles in singles. He won gold at the 1996 home Olympics in Atlanta, four times he was successful at Australian Open (1995, 2000, 2001, 2003), won twice US Open (1994, 1999), celebrated victory at Wimbledon 1992 and Roland Garros -1999. Having conquered the French Open, Agassi became the first ever holder of the career Golden Slam. He won the Davis Cup three times with the US team and spent a total of 101 weeks at the rank of world number one. Returning to the top of the world rankings in 2003, he became the oldest player ever to top the world rankings.

BEST MATCH

Pete Sampras, a compatriot and peer of Agassi, was his most principled rival throughout his career. The two played more than one spectacular final among themselves, many of their fights are inscribed in the golden fund of world tennis.

However, Agassi and Sampras gave out superbattles not only in the finals. Their meeting in the quarterfinals of the US Open-2001, although it ended in the defeat of our today's hero, is rightfully considered one of the best in the history of tennis. For four sets, none of the opponents gave up their serve. Before the fourth tie-break, the packed crowd at the Arthur Ashe Arena rose to their feet and gave the two American superstars a standing ovation. Sampras eventually celebrated the victory - 6:7, 7:6, 7:6, 7:6.

BEST WIFE

Having had an affair in his youth with the famous actress and singer Barbra Streisand, who is 28 years older than him, and having been married for two years to another representative of Hollywood, Brooke Shields, Andre Agassi met his love, faithful life partner and mother of his children where he spent most part of life is in the tennis stadium. The relationship of the American with the most titled tennis player in history, 22-time winner of the Grand Slam tournaments, the first and only owner of the classic Golden Slam German Steffi Graf began to take shape on a victorious basis for both Roland Garros -99, and their marriage ceremony took place in October 2001, just five days before the birth of their first child, Jayden Gil. The star couple also has a daughter, Jazz Ellie.

BEST RECOGNITION

In his frank autobiography Open: An Autobiography, published in 2009 and making a lot of noise, Agassi made a sensational admission that in the late 90s he took the drug methamphetamine, and after traces of it were found in his doping sample, deceived the ATP by claiming that he accidentally drank water from a bottle of one of his assistants. At the same time, the American claims that he dabbled in drugs solely because of problems in his personal life and did not at all pursue the goal of improving sports results. Needless to say, such recognition caused a huge resonance?

In the same place, in the book, Agassi claims that when he was professional player hated tennis, because of the constant pressure that was then exerted on him.

BEST ACTS

In his youth, Agassi was distinguished by defiant behavior. He chose non-standard hairstyles and clothes, neglected the dress code in the prim All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, refused to go to Wimbledon, ate hamburgers, bought planes, spent time with friends and in every possible way spat on the sports regime, which caused indignation of his then mentor Nick Bollettieri, which eventually led to their separation.

But with age, he has changed a lot, and is now one of the most famous philanthropists in the world of sports. For his many philanthropic projects, he has twice received the ATP Arthur Ashe Prize for Humanity and Charity, as well as other humanitarian awards.

The Andre Agassi Educational Foundation builds charter schools, supports other educational projects and helps to educate children, including those from socially disadvantaged groups. Agassi also supports medical projects aimed at combating AIDS and the study of cancer.

Now Andre Kirk Agassi is a successful businessman and philanthropist, as well as a happy father of a family, whose appearance does not suggest that he has ever played sports. However, this name is well known all over the world, even to people far from sports, and tennis fans still remember his legendary two-handed backhand, exciting play on the back line, almost "ping-pong" speed of play. Having given tennis more than thirty years of his life, Agassi was among the first rackets of the world for almost twenty years, and at the end of his career he became the oldest among the leaders of the ATP rating (Association of Professional Tennis Players). Agassi's autobiography does not leave anyone indifferent: in the life of the great tennis player there were dizzying ups, family conflicts, stormy romances, true friends, scandals, drugs, but the most important thing in his life was triumphant victories on the courts, which were replaced by deep affection for his wife and children and doing charity work.

Andre Agassi was born on April 29, 1970 in Las Vegas. His father is from Iran Armenian roots Emanuel (Manu) Agassi, who adopted the name Mike after moving to the United States, his mother is American Elizabeth Dudley. Andre's biography (as, indeed, the life of the entire Agassi family) took shape under the influence of his father's unfulfilled childhood dream. He really wanted to become a tennis player, but in post-war Iran, only English and american soldiers. Manu Agassi became a famous boxer, but he taught all his children to play tennis and trained to exhaustion. Agassi's house in Las Vegas was very poor, but the yard was equipped tennis court, and Mike personally perfected the devices for throwing balls and removing them from the ground. Agassi's daughter Tama didn't show much athletic ability, second daughter

b, Rita, became a fairly successful tennis player, and her son Philip, after intensive training, suffered a wrist injury and could not count on a high result. The birth of the fourth child was unplanned - the doctors even assumed the disease and recommended surgery - but for Mike Agassi it was another chance that fully justified all his hopes. He hung over his son's bed tennis balls and gave him a ping-pong paddle, then took the child to the court as soon as he could walk. Father forced Andre to hit the balls from the feeding machine by the thousands until the whole yard was covered with them, ignoring the fatigue and anger of his son. At the age of 10, Andre Agassi reached the second round of the US Junior Championships, and a year later he was already in the semifinals. At 13, he entered the Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida. Despite the conflicts, the challenge

difficult character future star Tennis, he became the U.S. Youth Indoor Champion at the age of 14, and began his professional career at the age of 16.

In 1986, Andre Agassi managed to enter the top 100 the best tennis players world and compete in the Grand Slam tournament at the US Open. The following year, he already reached the semi-finals of the Grand Prix tournament and became 25th in the ranking of tennis players.

In 1988, Agassi won 6 Grand Prix tournaments, reached the Grand Slam semi-finals twice, led the team to world league Davis Cup and as a result became 3rd in the world classification.

He subsequently won the ATP World Championship (1990), Olympic Games 1996, won all four Grand Slam tournaments, becoming the owner of the Golden Slam. Andre Agassi also won 26 Australian Open matches, twice with the national team in

reached the final of the Davis Cup, for 16 seasons he was one of the ten strongest tennis players. At the same time, Agassi often shocked spectators and judges with scandalous antics - he could defiantly catch the ball in the game, spit in the direction of the referee, and bicker with rivals. The famous tennis player loved to shock those around him with his appearance; he purchased a private jet, neglected his workout regimen, used drugs and junk food openly.

In 1993, Andre Agassi suffered a wrist injury. During treatment and forced inactivity, he was introduced in absentia to the film actress Brooke Shields, who was five years older than the famous tennis player. Communication with Brooke benefited Andre - he tightened his training regimen, began to dress more restrainedly and even shaved his head. In 1997, the couple entered into a marriage that lasted only two years. Heavy character A

assy, ​​his constant jealousy was supplemented by sports failures - in 1997 he performed extremely unsuccessfully and fell even lower than the position in the ranking from which he once began his professional career.

Soon after the divorce, Agassi went to the French Open and won it. The famous tennis player Steffi Graf also became the winner of the same championship, who at the same time announced the termination of sports performances. A close relationship developed between them. In October 2001, Andre and Steffi got married, and five days later their son was born, who was named Jaden Gil; two years later at star couple daughter Jazz Ellie was born.

Life with a calm and sensible Steffi completely transformed Agassi. His scandalous antics and unhealthy habits are a thing of the past. In 2003, he became the first in the ATP rating and also the first to succeed

Xia to do it at that age and also hold this position for 14 weeks. However, numerous injuries have already made themselves felt. In 2005, Agassi reached the semi-finals of the Grand Slam, becoming the oldest finalist at that time and entered the top ten, and in 2006 he stopped his sports career. His total earnings for all the years of performances amounted to more than 30 million dollars.

Back in 1994, Andre Agassi founded his own educational foundation, which contributes to the restructuring of school education, and in 1997 - sport Club in Las Vegas, where 2,000 children study for free. In addition, he supports various health projects. Agassi's name appears in the lists of the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the US Hall of Champions; three words appear under the portrait of the great tennis player: bold, daring, incomparable

Andre Agassi, during his time on the court, collected all the titles that are possible in tennis. According to the BBC channel, this is "the world's biggest sports star." The tennis player is the first male owner of the Golden Helmet, a successful businessman and a generous philanthropist.

Childhood and youth

Andre Agassi's full name is Andre Kirk Agassi. Armenian by nationality. Grandfather David Aghassian lived in Kyiv, then went to Iran and changed his surname. The athlete's father Emanul was born in the city of Selmas, became a boxer, got to the Olympics in Helsinki, from which he did not return home, but immigrated to the United States. In America, he took the name Mike Agassi, together with his wife Elizabeth Dudley, became the parents of daughters Rita and Tami and sons Philip and Andre.

The middle name Kirk is in honor of the millionaire Kirk Kerkorian, who helped Mike with work in gratitude for the fact that the boxer protected his wife from a bully.

At birth, Andre was diagnosed with a displacement of the lumbar vertebrae. For this reason, and also because of Agassi's injuries, he played on injections for the last few years before ending his career. About how painful the procedures were, the athlete told in the book “Frankly. Autobiography".

At the age of 3, Andre was already training for 4 hours a day, at 5 he participated in the first sports biography tournament, at 8, the father began to take his son to matches around the country, since there were no competitors left in his home state. Stars Bobby Riggs and Harold Solomon became sparring partners of the gifted boy. Romanian celebrity Ilie Nastase 6-year-old Agassi gave his first autograph.

When Andre was 11 years old, Mike sent the boy to the Nick Bollettieri Academy, away from temptations, as he began to look at the girls. Bollettieri was famous for army discipline. There was no money for studies, but after watching Agassi, Nick undertook to train the child prodigy personally and for free.

Andre was almost expelled from the Academy for bad behavior, the leader saved him - he used the right to veto such a decision. Later, Agassi said that "nonsense, which is stuffed at school" is not useful, but he is only interested in tennis. So the education of the athlete was limited to 8 classes.

Tennis

Andre Agassi's professional career began in 1986 with the Pilot Pen Classic Grand Prix tournament. In the first match, the young talent defeated an opponent, 13 years older, and lost to the 3rd racket of the world at that time, Mats Wilander. At other competitions, Andre received the first prize money - $ 1 thousand. Then he signed the first commercial contract with Nike for $ 45 thousand. Now Agassi's fortune is estimated at $ 200 million.

At the same time, the tennis player developed his own style - long hair, denim shorts, parrot-colored T-shirts and bandanas. At first, he ignored Wimbledon, which allowed white uniforms. It is simply impossible to confuse Agassi on the court with someone else. And after winning the French Open in 1999, Andre went to the game without underwear.

At the age of 17, Agassi climbed to 17th place in the world rankings, a year later he became the first, winning 22 matches in a row along the way and thereby setting a record. Only 17 years later this achievement was surpassed.

Best Hits Andre Agassi

In 1990, Andre won the first Davis Cup, by 1993 he had participated in all Grand Slam tournaments, with the exception of the Australian Open. At the championship of the Green Continent, the tennis player appeared in 1995 and immediately won there. A year later, Agassi became the third American tennis champion in the Olympics. The President considered it an honor to play with a compatriot.

Then a recession followed, Andre flew out of the top hundred. The return to the elite took 1.5 years. In 1999, Agassi overthrew Patrick Rafter from the pedestal, won Open Championships USA and France and 3 more tournaments.

The American has 17 prizes from 22 competitions of the Masters series. He is the first Grand Slam winner on all types of surfaces (grass, hard, clay). At the home championship, Andre performed without a break for 21 years. In the 2000s, another one joined the multitude of titles - the oldest player, one of the five strongest tennis players on the planet, after Jimmy Connors.

The jewel of all history tennis was the confrontation between Agassi and Pete Sampras. Andre admitted that he would not have taken so many peaks if it were not for the presence of this principal rival behind the net. The score in head-to-head matches is 20:14 in favor of Pete, Andre stayed on the first line of the rating for 101 weeks, Sampras - 286.

The eccentric Agassi is a crowd favorite, Pete is unsmiling and withdrawn. And in ordinary life, tension was felt between the athletes. Only when both moved to the rank of “pensioners” did the competitors relax and find common topics for conversation.

AT last time Agassi picked up a racket at the ATP tournament in September 2006. Knowing in advance how many spectators would follow the end of the star's career, the matches were set for the evening. Anticipating an exciting fight between Andre and Andy Roddick, the meeting with Benjamin Becker was held in the afternoon. Alas, the American did not defeat the German tennis player. At parting, the audience of the main and neighboring courts gave Agassi a standing ovation.

Personal life

There was no stability in Agassi's personal life for a long time. Tall, athletic (Andre's height is 180 cm, weight is 80 kg), the man did not have the appearance of a Hollywood star, but the charm did its job. Father Mike said that crowds of women curled around the athlete.

Agassi's first wife was an actress. For the first time, he saw a photo of a girl in 1981 in the room of his sister Tami's fiance. The couple were introduced by mutual friends. The wedding, which cost $ 2 million, was attended by world-famous celebrities.

However, the marriage lasted only 2 years. Andre's premonition came true when, having met Brooke's mother, on an intuitive level, he realized that further life together would not work out. Both women viewed the birth of children negatively, believing it would hinder Shields' career.

Steffi Graf has long admired Andre, but the girl's heart was occupied by Formula 1 pilot Michael Bartels. The athletes became close at Roland Garros in 1999.

This time, the tennis player did not draw attention to his own marriage. Only the mothers of the bride and groom were witnesses of the ceremony. A week after the wedding, the first of two children was born - the son of Jaden Gil, in 2003 the daughter Jazz Ellie appeared.

The family lives in Las Vegas, although Graf considers Germany to be his homeland and regularly visits there. Former athletes run a children's charitable foundation, under the auspices of which schools are being built in disadvantaged areas. Agassi is the face of several brands, from fast food to Swiss watches, and the owner of a construction and entertainment business.

Wednesday marks the 45th anniversary of Andre Agassi. Over a 20-year career, he has experienced many ups and downs,. However, from the biography of Andre, you can’t throw out methamphetamine use, a vivid image of a rebel, eating hamburgers, countless love stories and much more. All this, however, was quite a long time ago - back in the days when Andre wore long hair. And tennis fans know Agassi primarily as the owner of the Career Slam and Olympic champion. We recall these and other milestones in the career and life of a great athlete.

Brooke Shields and Barbra Streisand

1992 was marked by Andre's first big victory. It is curious that the American began to collect the "Career Slam" from Wimbledon - a tournament to which he treated with coolness and which he did not come for three years in a row. Andre was 22 years old by that time - quite a conscious age, but soon after this victory he behaved like a child. Agassi almost gave up tennis, regularly met with friends, bought a plane and had fun. Yes, he periodically came to tournaments and even achieved victories, but he did it irregularly and dropped into the fourth ten.

It was at the end of 1992 and the beginning of 1993 that Agassi began an affair with a famous actress Brooke Shields. She is seven years older than him, but the age difference never bothered Andre. For example, he had an affair with Barbra Streisand who was born 28 years earlier. “We realized that we are good together, so who cares about the 28-year age difference? The main thing is that we liked each other, and the public outcry only added spice to our relationship. Our friendship was forbidden, and I always liked to challenge society. A relationship with Barbra is like walking on lava,” Andre recalls.

Help "Championship"

Andre Agassi

Was born April 29, 1970 in Las Vegas, USA.
Growth: 180 cm. Right-handed. Two-handed left hand.
Start professional career: 1986. Completion: 2006.
Career Prizes: $ 31 152 975.
In singles: 870 wins and 274 losses.
1 (April 10, 1995).
Number of titles: 60.
Grand Slam Tournaments:
Australian Open- victory (1995, 2000, 2001, 2003).
"Roland Garros" - victory (1999).
Wimbledon - victory (1992).
US Open - victory (1994, 1999).
Final Tournament - victory (1990).
Gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

AT doubles 40 wins and 42 losses.
Highest place in the rating list: 123 (August 17, 1992).
Number of titles: 1.

Davis Cup - victory (1990, 1992, 1995).

The press attributes to him novels with other Hollywood actresses, as well as with Gabriela Sabatini, but we'll get back to Shields. At first, their relationship did not benefit his tennis career, but soon Andre lost weight and returned to full training. It is believed that it was Brooke, who often attended his matches, who insisted that Agassi give more of himself to the sport. They married in April 1997, during a serious downturn in their careers. The American fell into the middle of the second hundred - he had not fallen so low since he was 16 years old. The journalists were sure that the failures were related to marriage, but Andre thought otherwise. In any case, two years later, the lovers parted. Agassi was too jealous of his wife for her partners in TV shows and films, this was the reason for the breakup.

Steffi Graf

A few weeks after the breakup, he began dating Steffi Graf. Andre had plans for a German woman back in 1992, when he tried to invite her on a date through an agent. It didn't work out then, because Graf dated a racer Michael Bartels. Seven years later, she broke up with him to start a family with Andre. In 2001, they got married, and five days after the wedding, Steffi had a girl. Two years later, the second child of the tennis family was born - this time a boy. For more than 13 years, Agassi and Graf have been living happy life and sometimes take part in exhibition matches.

"Career helmet"

Andre became only the fifth player to win the Career Slam in men's singles. Now there are seven of these people - in the new century, all tournaments were won Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. In the mid-90s, Andre's prospects did not look very bright. By 1995, he had won in Australia, England and the USA, while in Melbourne he scored on the first try. He never played on the Green Continent, but in 1995 he immediately won seven matches in a row. In Paris, everything worked out for him at the beginning of his career - in five years, two semi-finals and two finals, but then the results only worsened. For three years, he could not even reach the third round, and then it seemed that the dream of a “Career Slam” would remain unrealizable.

However, in 1999 Andre shone again. Flashed unexpectedly. The first half of the season turned out to be disappointing: an early defeat in Melbourne, failures in other tournaments and poor preparation for Roland Garros. Agassi played only in Rome and lost in the third match. It is logical that in Paris he faced certain difficulties. He not without difficulty went two laps, playing nine sets. Then Agassi played out and reached the final, where he was considered the favorite, because he had the 100th racket of the world in his rivals Andrey Medvedev. But the "Career Helmet" is not so easy to give. Medvedev had a great start to the final and gave the eminent opponent only three games in the first two sets. Agassi managed to pull himself together and took the next three games in the struggle, which brought him a much-desired victory.

Second wind

Andre was already 29 years old, and many believed that his career was coming to an end, especially since the results were generally deteriorating. However, the success at Roland Garros inspired the American to new achievements. Before one of the seasons, he even announced that he was aiming for the "Grand Slam", that is, to win all the tournaments during the season. He did not cope with this task, although he was in four finals in a row and won three titles. In the same season-99, he won in the USA, then three times in four years he won in Australia. At the age of 35, he reached the decisive match in New York, but he failed to win the ninth Slam. Nevertheless, Andre showed that even after 30 years you can play on high level and achieve great success.

"I used methamphetamine and cheated ATP"

Agassi had a reputation as a rebel in the late 80s and early 90s, but in the new century he managed to change his attitude a lot. All the more surprising was the recognition in 2009 that he was. The American's autobiography was called "Open", which is most logically translated as "Revelations" or "Everything is clear." The book lived up to its name and became a sports literature bestseller. The chapter that caused the greatest resonance is devoted to drugs. Agassi was caught doping, but, oddly enough, the hastily invented excuse worked - Andre said that he accidentally drank water from a bottle of water from a member of his team, and it contained a prohibited drug. After 12 years, he found the strength to admit that he deliberately took methamphetamine. The American did not try to improve sports results, but hoped to solve his family problems with the help of drugs. Some experts confirm this version: if methamphetamine somehow affects sports performance, then only in the opposite direction.

Nonetheless sports world this news stirred up, and many players lashed out at Agassi. Probably the harshest of all Marat Safin, who said that Andre "as an honest man" should renounce all titles himself. The ATP's response was laconic: Agassi is not an active athlete, so there will be no further review of the 12-year-old case. However, this story cast a shadow over the organization and its anti-doping service: if Agassi managed to cheat the system, then maybe someone else did it too? However, not everyone turned away from the American. Some noted his courage, because no one forced him to admit it.

Hamburgers and crazy life

At the beginning of his career, Andre wore lush hair, was an idol of youth and had a reputation as a rebel. He signed a contract with the most popular fast food chain and regularly ate hamburgers and other unhealthy foods, while achieving certain results and showing that even without a strict diet and everyday training, you can win titles. Agassi's image was very beneficial to advertisers, and Andre constantly entered into large contracts, earning more off the court than on it. That's just this image is not allowed to play in Wimbledon. How can a rebel and a person for whom there are no rules and prohibitions diligently put on all white and become like everyone else? For this reason, Agassi did not come to England for three years in a row, but, fortunately, he came to his senses in time.

Personal meetings with the strongest players:

Pete Sampras - 14-20.
Boris Becker - 10-4.
Yevgeny Kafelnikov - 8-4.
Michael Chang - 15-7.
Todd Martin - 13-5.
Patrick Rafter - 10-5.
Greg Rusedski - 9-2.
Gustavo Kuerten - 7-4.
Marat Safin - 3-3.
Roger Federer - 3-8.
Rafael Nadal - 0-2.
Mikhail Youzhny - 2-0.

Armenian and Ukrainian roots

Grandfather Andre David Aghasyan was born in Kyiv. During the civil war, he emigrated to Iran and changed his surname for security reasons. David married a Turkish Armenian Nunia, and soon their son Emmanuel was born. He became a professional boxer and even participated in the Olympics representing Iran. Emmanuel, or Mike, Agassi was very fond of tennis and instilled this love in all four children. As you know, only one truly justified the hopes of his father.

farewell match

The final match of any player's career is a highlight, but the end sports way Agassi was especially dramatic. He announced that the 2006 US Open would be his last tournament. In that season, he was still quite combat-ready and was in the top ten, but by the US Open he dropped into the fourth ten and did not get into the seeding. Andre barely won Andrey Pavel, then in five sets he defeated the seeded Marcos Baghdatis. It is noteworthy that at the end of the grueling match, the younger Cypriot experienced convulsions and could barely move his legs, and Agassi, at the age of 36, withstood the marathon. However, it was not possible to win a third consecutive heavy victory. Andre played on injections and conceded Benjamin Becker in four parties. The American could not hold back his tears, and the crowded 22,000-seat Arthur Ashe Arena gave him a five-minute standing ovation. "Thank you. The scoreboard says I lost, but it doesn't show what I've gained in these 20+ years. I found inspiration, I was surrounded by dedicated people... Even in the most difficult moments, I managed to get up and move on. You helped me make my dreams come true. I wouldn't have been able to do anything without you. Over the years I found you, I thank you all, and the memories will be with me for the rest of my life. Thank you, ”Andre squeezed out in a trembling voice.

Now Andre is a happy husband and father, and also does charity work in various industries. So, at the beginning of the century, he opened a free public school in the most disadvantaged area of ​​​​Las Vegas. Problem children were able to receive a quality education, and from 2009 to 2011, 100% of students entered higher education institutions. In addition, Agassi invests in various medical projects, including the fight against AIDS. For his active work, Andre has repeatedly received various awards, and in 2011 his name was included in the International Tennis Hall of Fame.