Off the court, charismatic Agassi's personal life became a popular topic in the tabloids. He was romantically linked to singer Barbra Streisand before marrying actress Brooke Shields in Beginning in , Agassi went through a difficult patch, both professionally and personally.
He failed to win any tournaments that year, and the former number-one player dropped significantly in the rankings. According to his autobiography Open , Agassi had been introduced to crystal meth by a friend.
He tested positive for drugs in , but he told the Association of Tennis Professionals that his drug use had been accidental. Agassi claimed that he had "unwittingly" drank a drug-laced beverage belonging to a friend. Speaking about his drug use, he later told People magazine that "I can't speak to addiction, but a lot of people would say that if you're using anything as an escape, you have a problem. Eventually turning his life around, Agassi launched an impressive comeback in Agassi also made changes in his personal life, divorcing his wife after nearly two years.
He remained focused on his game, allowing him to continue his winning ways. Agassi emerged victorious at the Australian Open in , and By , Agassi's health issues had begun to limit his ability to play. He had been born with spinal abnormality and had to withdraw from several competitions that year because of back problems.
Agassi fought for one more Grand Slam title, but it was not to be. On September 4, , Agassi lost his last professional match to Benjamin Becker. For Agassi, it was one of the most extraordinary comebacks in modern tennis: he had slipped from number 1 in the world in to a ranking of two years later, only to rise back up to number 1 in But the star who resented everything in the tennis world managed to find a new motivation to keep going —and a way to transition out of tennis.
In , he opened the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy , a charter school for underprivileged children in his hometown, Las Vegas. Since then, he has partnered with an investment fund and financed the construction of more than 80 charter schools across the U. Brushing away tears to smile for selfies, their disappointment is palpable. Seeing some of the children in Paris being so hard on themselves when they fail brings back memories of his own adolescence, out on the court with no one else to rely on.
Graf was a wizard on all playing surfaces. She won each of the four major tournaments no less than four times, making her the only player in history to accomplish the feat. She has 31 Grand Slam finals overall in her career, finishing third all-time in that category. She won seven times at Wimbledon and six times at the French Open. Earlier in his career, he was known for his high talent level and equally high penchant for partying.
Agassi settled down later in his career to become one of the top stars in tennis. You just have to go through it and figure it out. In her own quiet way Steffi feels stronger than me. I probably do a little more reminiscing than she does — which says a lot. So Graf did not mind Serena Williams overtaking her , after they had been locked on 22 slams, by winning the Australian Open?
The hardest part of Serena chasing down those numbers was respecting the game. Every time she was asked she felt obligated to put importance on it for the sake of tennis and an incredible champion in Serena. But he has since lost every major, relinquished his No1 ranking to Andy Murray and was defeated again last week by Nick Kyrgios in Indian Wells.
Murray also lost early in Indian Wells and, like Djokovic, will miss Miami this week with an injured elbow. I was never the best athlete and had to think strategically. But he has so much athleticism he has a tendency to rely on that and make matches harder than they need to be. Who would Agassi like to coach if he returned to tennis? The idea of Agassi working with Kyrgios is fascinating.
Could it be a short-term option? So the answer is no. Has Agassi learned to like tennis? I just thank God I played the game long enough to enjoy lots of good moments.
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