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Robby Ginepri

Country	United States
Residence	Kennesaw, Georgia, United States
Born	(1982-10-07) 7 October 1982 (age 29) Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States
Height	6 ft 0 in (182 cm)
Weight	175 lb (80 kg)
Turned pro	2001
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career prize money	$3,511,055
Singles
Career record	171–171
Career titles	3
Highest ranking	No. 15 (December 26, 2005)
Current ranking	No. 190 (March 19, 2012)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open	4R (2004)
French Open	4R (2008, 2010)
Wimbledon	4R (2004)
US Open	SF (2005)
Doubles
Career record	20–73
Career titles	0
Highest ranking	No. 134 (January 12, 2004)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open	1R (2009)
French Open	1R (2009)
US Open	1R (2009)
Last updated on: October 26, 2009.

Robert Louis ("Robby") Ginepri (born October 7, 1982) is an American professional tennis player.

Early life[link]

Robby Ginepri is of Luxembourgish ancestry. He attended Joseph Wheeler High School, located in Marietta, Georgia. He graduated as a member of the class of 2001.

Career[link]

2005[link]

Ginepri had a breakout year in 2005. In August, he reached the semifinals of an ATP Masters Series tournament for the first time in his career, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He beat 2005 French Open runner-up Mariano Puerta in the first round, David Ferrer in the second round, 1998 French Open champion Carlos Moyà in the third round, and two-time Grand Slam singles titlist Marat Safin in the quarterfinals. He then lost to World No. 1 Roger Federer in the semifinals.

His summer hardcourt record was 14–3 when he arrived two weeks later at the US Open as an unseeded player. After defeating Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the first round, and Andy Roddick's conqueror, Gilles Müller, in the second round, both in straight sets, Ginepri then put together three consecutive five set wins, defeating Tommy Haas in the third round, Richard Gasquet in the fourth round, and Guillermo Coria in the quarterfinals. He then lost to Andre Agassi in the semifinals in five sets. Ginepri thus became the first player in the open era to play four consecutive five-set matches at the US Open.^[1]

In November at the Madrid Masters, Ginepri made it to another ATP Masters Series semifinal before losing to eventual champion Rafael Nadal. He also won the inaugural Superset Tennis tournament, a groundbreaking one set, one day tournament, earning him prize money of $250,000.

He finished 2005 at World No. 15 in the ATP Rankings, the highest ranking of his career to date.

2006[link]

Ginepri's results in 2006 did not match his successes in 2005. He lost in the second round of the Australian Open and the first round of both the French Open and Wimbledon. At the US Open, he lost in the third round to German Tommy Haas in a fifth set tiebreaker. He finished the year ranked World No. 51 and with a 24–26 record.

2007[link]

Ginepri lost in the third round of both the Australian Open and the US Open and the first round of both the French Open and Wimbledon. He finished the year ranked World No. 134.

2008[link]

At the tournament in Delray Beach, Florida, Ginepri lost in the semifinals to James Blake. In his next tournament, the SAP Open in San Jose, California, Ginepri was able to defeat Blake in the quarterfinals but lost in the semifinals to Radek Štěpánek.

At the Tennis Channel Open in Las Vegas, Nevada, Ginepri reached the semifinals for his third consecutive tournament. Ginepri defeated Xavier Malisse in the first round, World No. 17 Marcos Baghdatis in the second round, and Ernests Gulbis in the quarterfinals before falling to Kevin Anderson. Ginepri then played the Tennis Masters Series Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California, losing in the second round to Carlos Moyà.

At the Hypo Group Tennis International in Pörtschach, Austria, Ginepri lost in the quarterfinals to Juan Mónaco. He then made it to the fourth round of the French Open before losing to 24th-seeded Fernando González.

On grass, Ginepri lost in the second round of The Artois Championships in London to Andy Roddick and the first round of Wimbledon to Gonzalez.^[2]

On June 23, 2008, Ginepri's ranking was World No. 59, a rise of 112 places since January 28, 2008.

Ginepri then made his Olympic debut tennis at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

In July, Ginepri made his debut in the World Team Tennis league, playing for the new Washington Kastles team.

2009[link]

At the US Open, Ginepri advanced to the second round, before losing to Nicolás Almagro in five sets.

2010[link]

As of June, Ginepri has won 4 of his 8 matches played. He lost in the first round of the Australian Open.

Ginepri underwent neck surgery this year to strengthen his game.^[3]

He beat Sam Querrey in four sets in the first round of the French Open and Potito Starace in the second round. He beat No. 16 Juan Carlos Ferrero in five sets, advancing to play in Round 4 where he lost against Novak Djokovic in four sets. He was the only unseeded player left in the competition, along with qualifier Gabashvili, and the last American in the men's field. He lost to Robin Söderling in straight sets in the first round of Wimbledon.^[4] In October, Ginepri was involved in a biking accident causing him to have surgery on his arm. He didn't return to the pro tour until July 2011.

2011[link]

Ginepri participated in the Atlanta Tennis Championships as a wildcard. His first match was against fellow wildcard Tommy Haas.

He received a wildcard to the US Open, where he defeated Brazilian João Souza in the first round in a four-set match, 6–3, 6–4, 6–7⁵, 6–1. He lost to John Isner in the second round, 6–4, 6–3, 6–4.

Personal[link]

Ginepri was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and graduated from Joseph Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia. Ginepri currently lives in Acworth, Georgia. He owns the Olde Town Athletic Club in Marietta. His father, Rene, who is originally from Luxembourg, is a systems analyst and his mother, Nancy, is a second grade teacher.

He was briefly linked with actress Minnie Driver.

On February 22, 2007, Ginepri participated on Spike TV's Pros vs. Joes with Rik Smits, Rob Dibble, and Andre Rison.

Career finals[link]

Singles: 3 (3–0)[link]

Outcome	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Winner	1.	13 July 2003	Newport, United States	Grass	Jürgen Melzer	6–4, 6–7(3–7), 6–1
Winner	2.	24 July 2005	Indianapolis, United States	Hard	Taylor Dent	4–6, 6–0, 3–0 ret.
Winner	3.	26 July 2009	Indianapolis, United States (2)	Hard	Sam Querrey	6–2, 6–4

Doubles: 1 (0–1)[link]

Outcome	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Runner-up	1.	27 July 2003	Indianapolis, United States	Hard	Diego Ayala	Mario Ančić Andy Ram	6–2, 6–7(3–7), 5–7

Singles performance timeline[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Robby Ginepri

• Official site
• Robby Ginepri at the Association of Tennis Professionals
• Robby Ginepri at the International Tennis Federation
• Robby Ginepri at the Davis Cup

Andre Agassi

Full name	Andre Kirk Agassi
Country	USA
Residence	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Born	(1970-04-29) April 29, 1970 (age 42) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	80 kg (180 lb)
Turned pro	1986
Retired	September 3, 2006
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career prize money	US$31,152,975 5th All-time leader in earnings
Int. Tennis HOF	2011 (member page)
Singles
Career record	870–274 (76.05%) (on the Grand Prix tour, ATP Tour, in Grand Slams and Davis Cup)
Career titles	60 according to the ATP and 68 in total
Highest ranking	No. 1 (April 10, 1995)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open	W (1995, 2000, 2001, 2003)
French Open	W (1999)
Wimbledon	W (1992)
US Open	W (1994, 1999)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals	W (1990)
Olympic Games	W (1996)
Doubles
Career record	40–42 (at ATP Tour, Grand Prix tour and Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup)
Career titles	1
Highest ranking	No. 123 (August 17, 1992)
Grand Slam Doubles results
French Open	QF (1992)
US Open	1R (1987)

Olympic medal record
Men's tennis
Competitor for  United States
Gold	1996 Atlanta	Singles

Andre Kirk Agassi ( /ˈɑːndreɪ ˈæɡəsi/; born April 29, 1970) is a retired American^[1][2] professional tennis player and former world no. 1.^[3] Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time,^{[4][5][6][7][8]} Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game.^{[6][9][10][11]} Described by the BBC upon his retirement as "perhaps the biggest worldwide star in the sport's history",^[8] Agassi's performances, along with his unorthodox apparel and attitude, have seen him cited as one of the most charismatic players in the history of the game, and credited for helping revive the popularity of tennis during the 1990s.^[6][8][12]

In singles tennis, Agassi is an eight-time Grand Slam champion who competed in 15 Grand Slam finals, and an Olympic gold medalist. A multi-surface specialist, he is the first of two male players to have achieved a singles Career Golden Slam, and one of four to have achieved a singles Career Grand Slam in the Open Era (one of seven in history).^[13][14] He was the first male player to win all four Grand Slams on three different surfaces (hard, clay and grass), and is the last American male to win the French Open (1999)^[15] and the Australian Open (2003).^[16] Agassi also won 17 ATP Masters Series titles, the 1990 ATP Tour World Championships, and was part of a winning Davis Cup team in 1990 and 1992.^[5] He is the only male singles player in history to have won all four Grand Slam tournaments, the Olympic gold medal and the ATP Tour World Championships: a distinction dubbed as a "Career Super Slam" by Sports Illustrated.^[17]

After suffering from sciatica caused by two bulging discs in his back, a spondylolisthesis (vertebral displacement) and a bone spur that interfered with the nerve, Agassi retired from professional tennis on September 3, 2006, after losing in the third round of the US Open. He is the founder of the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation,^[18] which has raised over $60 million for at-risk children in Southern Nevada.^[19] In 2001, the Foundation opened the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy in Las Vegas, a K-12 public charter school for at-risk children.^[20]

1970–1985: Early life[link]

Agassi was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, to Emmanuel "Mike" Aghassian and Elizabeth "Betty" Agassi (née Dudley).^[3][21] His father, a former Olympic boxer for Iran, is of Assyrian and Armenian descent and changed the family name to Agassi after his migration to the United States.^{[22][23][24][25][26]} Andre Agassi's mother, Betty, is a breast cancer survivor. He has three older siblings – Rita, Philip and Tami.^[27]

Mike Agassi reportedly banged on the fences with a hammer during Andre's matches when his son lost a point, screamed at officials and was ejected more than once.

In a passage from the book Open, Agassi details how his father made him play a match for money with football legend Jim Brown, in 1979, when Agassi was just 9 years old. Brown was at a Vegas tennis club complaining to the owner about a money match that was canceled. Agassi's father stepped in and told Brown that he could play his son and he would put up his house for the wager. Brown countered with a $10,000 bet; but after being warned by the club owner not to take the bet because he would lose and be embarrassed, Brown and Mike Agassi agreed that they'd set the amount after he and Andre played two sets. Brown lost those sets, 3–6, 3–6, declined the 10K wager, and offered to play the third for $500, which he lost 2–6.^[28]

At age 13, Andre was sent to Nick Bollettieri's Tennis Academy in Florida.^[29] He was meant to stay for only 3 months because that was all his father could afford. After thirty minutes of watching Agassi play, Bollettieri called Mike and said: "Take your check back. He's here for free", claiming that Agassi had more natural talent than anyone else he had seen.^[30] Agassi dropped out of school in the ninth grade.^[31]

International tennis career biography[link]

1986–1993[link]

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He turned professional at the age of 16 and competed in his first tournament at La Quinta, California. He won his first match against John Austin 6–4, 6–2, but then lost his second match to Mats Wilander 1–6, 1–6. By the end of the year, Agassi was ranked world no. 91.^[32] Agassi won his first top-level singles title in 1987 at the Sul American Open in Itaparica.^[29] He ended the year ranked world no. 25.^[29] He won six additional tournaments in 1988 (Memphis, U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, Forest Hills WCT, Stuttgart Outdoor, Volvo International and Livingston Open),^[29] and, by December of that year, he had surpassed US$1 million in career prize money after playing in just 43 tournaments—the fastest anyone in history had reached that level.^[33] During the year, he set the open-era record for most consecutive victories by a male teenager, a record that would stand for 17 years until being broken by Rafael Nadal in 2005.^[34] His year-end ranking was world no. 3, behind second-ranked Ivan Lendl and top-ranked Mats Wilander. Both the Association of Tennis Professionals and Tennis magazine named Agassi the Most Improved Player of the Year for 1988.^[29]

In addition to not playing the Australian Open (which would later become his best Grand Slam event) for the first eight years of his career, Agassi chose not to play at Wimbledon from 1988 through 1990 and publicly stated that he did not wish to play there because of the event's traditionalism, particularly its "predominantly white" dress code to which players at the event are required to conform.

Strong performances on the tour meant that Agassi was quickly tipped as a future Grand Slam champion. While still a teenager, he reached the semifinals of both the French Open and the US Open in 1988, and made the US Open semifinals in 1989. He began the 1990s, however, with a series of near-misses. He reached his first Grand Slam final in 1990 at the French Open, where he was favored before losing in four sets to Andrés Gómez. He reached his second Grand Slam final of the year at the US Open, defeating defending champion Boris Becker in the semifinals. His opponent in the final was Pete Sampras; a year earlier, Agassi had beaten Sampras 6–2, 6–1, after which he told his coach that he felt bad for Sampras because he was never going to make it as a pro. Agassi lost the US Open final to Sampras 4–6, 3–6, 2–6.^[29] The rivalry between these two American players became the dominant rivalry in tennis over the rest of the decade. Also in 1990, Agassi helped the United States win its first Davis Cup in 8 years and won his only Tennis Masters Cup, beating reigning Wimbledon champion Stefan Edberg in the final.

In 1991, Agassi reached his second consecutive French Open final, where he faced fellow Bollettieri Academy alumnus Jim Courier. Courier emerged the victor in a five set final. Agassi decided to play at Wimbledon in 1991, leading to weeks of speculation in the media about the clothes he would wear. He eventually emerged for the first round in a completely white outfit. He went on to reach the quarterfinals on that occasion, losing in five sets to David Wheaton.

Agassi's Grand Slam tournament breakthrough came at Wimbledon, not at the French Open or the US Open, where he had previously enjoyed success. In 1992, he defeated Goran Ivanišević in a five-set final.^[29] Along the way, Agassi overcame two former Wimbledon champions, Boris Becker and John McEnroe. No other baseliner would triumph at Wimbledon until Lleyton Hewitt ten years later. Agassi was named the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year in 1992. Agassi once again played on the United States' Davis Cup winning team in 1992. It was their second Davis cup title in three years.

1993 saw Agassi win the only doubles title of his career, at the Cincinnati Masters, partnered with Petr Korda. Agassi missed much of the early part of that year with injuries. Although he made the quarterfinals in his Wimbledon title defense, he lost to eventual champion and world no. 1 Pete Sampras in five sets. Agassi lost in the first round at the US Open to Thomas Enqvist and required wrist surgery late in the year.

1994–1997[link]

With new coach Brad Gilbert on board, Agassi began to employ more of a tactical, consistent approach, which fueled his resurgence. Agassi started slowly in 1994, losing in the first week at the French Open and Wimbledon. Nevertheless, Agassi emerged during the hard-court season, winning the Canadian Open. His comeback culminated at the 1994 US Open with a five-set fourth-round victory against compatriot Michael Chang, and then becoming the first man to capture the US Open as an unseeded player, beating Michael Stich in the final.^[29]

In 1995, Agassi shaved his balding head, breaking with his old "image is everything" style. He competed in the 1995 Australian Open (his first appearance at the event) and won, beating Sampras in a four-set final.^[29] Agassi and Sampras met in five tournament finals in 1995, all on hardcourt, with Agassi winning three. Agassi won three Masters Series events in 1995 (Cincinnati, Key Biscayne, and the Canadian Open) and seven titles total.^[29] He compiled a career-best 26-match winning streak during the summer hard-court circuit, which ended when he lost the US Open final to Sampras.

Agassi reached the world no. 1 ranking for the first time in April 1995. He held that ranking until November, for a total of 30 weeks. In terms of win/loss record, 1995 was Agassi's best year. He won 73 matches and lost only 9. Agassi was also once again a key player on the United States' Davis Cup winning team—the third and final Davis Cup title of Agassi's career.

1996 was a less successful year for Agassi, as he failed to reach any Grand Slam final. He suffered two early-round losses at the hands of compatriots Chris Woodruff and Doug Flach at the French Open and Wimbledon, respectively, and lost to Chang in straight sets in the Australian and US Open semifinals. At the time, Agassi blamed the Australian Open loss on the windy conditions, but later said in his biography that he had lost the match on purpose, as he did not want to play Boris Becker, whom he would have faced in that final. The high point for Agassi was winning the men's singles gold medal at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, beating Sergi Bruguera of Spain in the final, 6–2, 6–3, 6–1.^[29] Agassi also successfully defended his singles titles in Cincinnati and Key Biscayne.

1997 was the low point of Agassi's career. His wrist injury resurfaced, and he played only 24 matches during the year. He would later confess that he started using crystal methamphetamine at that time, allegedly on the urging of a friend.^[35] He failed an ATP drug test, but wrote a letter claiming the same friend had spiked a drink. The ATP dropped the failed drug test as a warning. In his autobiography, Agassi admitted that the letter was a lie.^[36] He quit the drug soon after. He won no top-level titles and his ranking sank to world no. 141 on November 10, 1997, prompting many to believe that his run as one of the sport's premier competitors was over and that he would never again win any significant championships.^[29]

1998–2003[link]

Agassi serving

In 1998, Agassi began a rigorous conditioning program and worked his way back up the rankings by playing in Challenger Series tournaments, a circuit for pro players ranked outside the world's top 50. He also played classic matches in this period against Pete Sampras and Patrick Rafter.

In 1998, Agassi won five titles and leapt from world no. 110 to no. 6, the highest jump into the top 10 made by any player during a calendar year.^[37] At Wimbledon, he had an early loss in the second round to Tommy Haas. He won five titles in ten finals and was runner-up at the Masters Series tournament in Key Biscayne, losing to Marcelo Ríos, who became world no. 1 as a result.

Agassi entered the history books in 1999 when he came back from two sets to love down to beat Andrei Medvedev in a five-set French Open final, becoming, at the time, only the fifth male player (joining Rod Laver, Fred Perry, Roy Emerson and Don Budge—these have since been joined by a sixth, Roger Federer and a seventh, Rafael Nadal) to have won all four Grand Slam singles titles during his career. Only Laver, Agassi, Federer, and Nadal have achieved this feat during the open era. This win also made him the first (of only three, the second being Roger Federer and the third being Rafael Nadal) male player in history to have won all four Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces (clay, grass, and hard courts), a tribute to his adaptability, as the other four men had won their Grand Slam titles on clay and grass courts. Agassi also became the first (of only two, the second being Rafael Nadal) male player to win the Career Golden Slam, consisting of all four Grand Slam tournaments plus an Olympic gold medal.

Agassi followed his 1999 French Open victory by reaching the Wimbledon final, where he lost to Sampras in straight sets.^[29] He rebounded from his Wimbledon defeat by winning the US Open, beating Todd Martin in five sets (rallying from a two sets to one deficit) in the final. Agassi ended 1999 as the world no. 1, ending Sampras's record of six consecutive year-ending top rankings (1993–1998).^[29] This was the only time Agassi ended the year at no. 1.

Agassi began the next year by capturing his second Australian Open title, beating Sampras in a five-set semifinal and Yevgeny Kafelnikov in a four-set final.^[29] He was the first male player to have reached four consecutive Grand Slam finals since Rod Laver achieved the Grand Slam in 1969.^[38] At the time, Agassi was also only the fourth player since Laver to be the reigning champion of three of four Grand Slam events, missing only the Wimbledon title.^[39]

2000 also saw Agassi reach the semifinals at Wimbledon, where he lost in five sets to Rafter in a match considered by many to be one of the best ever at Wimbledon.^[40] At the inaugural Tennis Masters Cup in Lisbon, Agassi reached the final after defeating Marat Safin, 6–3, 6–3, in the semifinals to end the Russian's hopes to become the youngest world no. 1 in the history of tennis. Agassi then lost to Gustavo Kuerten in the final, allowing Kuerten to be crowned year-end world no. 1.

Agassi opened 2001 by successfully defending his Australian Open title with a straight-sets final win over Arnaud Clément.^[29] En route, he beat a cramping Rafter (7–5, 2–6, 6–7, 6–2, 6–3) in front of a sell-out crowd in what turned out to be the Aussie's last Australian Open. At Wimbledon, they met again in the semifinals, where Agassi lost another close match to Rafter, 8–6 in the fifth set. In the quarterfinals at the US Open, Agassi lost a 3 hour, 33 minute epic match^[41] with Sampras, 7–6(7), 6–7(7), 6–7(2), 6–7(5),^[42] with no breaks of serve during the 48-game match. Despite the setback, Agassi finished 2001 ranked world no. 3, becoming the only male tennis player to finish a year ranked in the top 3 in three different decades^[43] (1980s—finishing world no. 3 in 1988 and no. 7 in 1989; 1990s—finishing world no. 4 in 1990, no. 10 in 1991, no. 9 in 1992, no. 2 in 1994 and 1995, no. 8 in 1996, no. 6 in 1998 and no. 1 in 1999; 2000s—finishing world no. 6 in 2000, no. 3 in 2001, no. 2 in 2002, no. 4 in 2003, no. 8 in 2004 and no. 7 in 2005). He also was the oldest player (age 31) to finish in the top three since 32-year old Connors finished at world no. 2 in 1984.^[37]

2002 opened with disappointment for Agassi, as injury forced him to skip the Australian Open, where he was a two-time defending champion. The last duel between Agassi and Sampras came in the final of the US Open, which Sampras won in four sets and left Sampras with a 20–14 edge in their 34 career meetings. The match was the last of Sampras's career. Agassi's US Open finish, along with his Masters Series victories in Key Biscayne, Rome, and Madrid, helped him finish 2002 as the oldest year-end world no. 2 at 32 years and 8 months.^[37]

In 2003, Agassi won the eighth (and final) Grand Slam title of his career at the Australian Open, where he beat Rainer Schüttler in straight sets in the final. In March, he won his sixth career and third consecutive Key Biscayne title, in the process surpassing his wife, Steffi Graf, who was a five-time winner of the event. The final was his 18th straight win in that tournament, which broke the previous record of 17 set by Sampras from 1993–1995. (Agassi's winning streak continued to 20 after winning his first two matches at the 2004 edition of that tournament before bowing to Agustín Calleri.) With the victory, Agassi became the youngest (19 years old) and oldest (32) winner of the Key Biscayne tournament. On April 28, 2003, he recaptured the world no. 1 ranking after a quarterfinal victory over Xavier Malisse at the Queen's Club Championships to become the oldest top-ranked male player since the ATP rankings began at 33 years and 13 days. He had held the world no. 1 ranking for two weeks, when Lleyton Hewitt took it back on May 12, 2003. Agassi then recaptured the world no. 1 ranking once again on June 16, 2003, which he held for 12 weeks until September 7, 2003. During his career, Agassi held the world no. 1 ranking for a total of 101 weeks.^[44] Agassi's ranking slipped when injuries forced him to withdraw from many events. He did manage to reach the US Open semifinals, where he lost to Juan Carlos Ferrero and surrendered his world no. 1 ranking to Ferrero. At the year-end Tennis Masters Cup, Agassi lost in the final to Federer and finished the year ranked world no. 4. At age 33, he was the oldest player to rank in the top 5 since Connors, at age 35, was world no. 4 in 1987.^[37]

2004–2006[link]

In 2004, Agassi began the year with a five-set loss in the semifinals of the Australian Open to Marat Safin; the loss ended Agassi's 26-match winning streak at the event, a record that still stands. Agassi won the Masters series event in Cincinnati to bring his career total to 59 top-level singles titles and a record 17 ATP Masters Series titles, having already won seven of the nine ATP Masters tournament—all except the tournaments in Monte Carlo and Hamburg. At 34, he became the second-oldest singles champion in Cincinnati tournament history (the tournament began in 1899), surpassed only by Ken Rosewall, who won the title in 1970 at age 35. He finished the year ranked world no. 8, the oldest player to finish in the top 10 since the 36-year-old Connors was world no. 7 in 1988.^[37] Agassi also became only the sixth male player during the open era to reach 800 career wins with his first-round victory over Alex Bogomolov in Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles.

Agassi's 2005 began with a quarterfinal loss to Federer at the Australian Open. Agassi had several other deep runs at tournaments, but had to withdraw from several events due to injury. He lost to Jarkko Nieminen in the first round of the French Open. He won his fourth title in Los Angeles and reached the final of the Rogers Cup, before falling to world no. 2 Rafael Nadal. Agassi's 2005 was defined by an improbable run to the US Open final. After beating Răzvan Sabău and Ivo Karlović in straight sets and Tomáš Berdych in four sets, Agassi won three consecutive five-set matches to advance to the final. The most notable of these matches was his quarterfinal victory over James Blake, where he rallied from two sets down to win 3–6, 3–6, 6–3, 6–3, 7–6. His other five-set victims were Xavier Malisse in the fourth round and Robby Ginepri in the semifinals. In the final, Agassi faced Federer, who was seeking his second consecutive US Open title and his sixth Grand Slam title in two years. Federer defeated Agassi in four sets, although Agassi gave him a scare when Agassi was up a break in the third set after splitting the first two sets.

Before the 2005 Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, Agassi rolled his ankle in a racquetball accident and tore several ligaments. He was unable to walk for weeks. He nevertheless committed to the tournament, in which he was seeded third, and played Nikolay Davydenko in his first round-robin match. Agassi's movement was noticeably hindered, particularly on his backhand return of serve, and he lost in straight sets. He then withdrew from the tournament.

Agassi finished 2005 ranked world no. 7, his 16th time in the year-end top-10 rankings, which tied Connors for the most times ranked in the top 10 at year's end. In 2005, Agassi left Nike after 17 years and signed an endorsement deal with Adidas.^[45] A major reason for Agassi leaving Nike was because Nike refused to donate to Agassi's charities, and Adidas was more than happy to do so.

Agassi had a poor start to 2006. He was still recovering from an ankle injury and also suffering from back and leg pain and lack of match play. Agassi withdrew from the Australian Open because of the ankle injury, and his back injury and other pains forced him to withdraw from several other events, eventually skipping the entire clay-court season, including the French Open. This caused his ranking to drop out of the top 10 for the last time.

Agassi returned for the grass-court season, playing a tune-up, and then Wimbledon. He was defeated in the third round by world no. 2 (and eventual runner-up) Rafael Nadal 6–7, 2–6, 4–6. Against conventions, Agassi, the losing player, was interviewed on court after the match.^[46] At Wimbledon, Agassi announced his plans to retire following the US Open.

Agassi played only two events during the summer hard-court season, with his best result being a quarterfinal loss at the Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles to Fernando González of Chile 4–6, 6–3, 5–7. As a result, he was unseeded at the US Open.

Agassi had a short, but dramatic, run in his final US Open. Because of extreme back pain, Agassi was forced to receive anti-inflammatory injections after every match. After a tough four-set win against Andrei Pavel, Agassi faced eighth-seeded Marcos Baghdatis in the second round, who had earlier advanced to the 2006 Australian Open final and Wimbledon semifinals. Agassi won 6–4, 6–4, 3–6, 5–7, 7–5, as the younger Baghdatis succumbed to muscle cramping in the final set. In his last match, Agassi fell to 112th-ranked big-serving Benjamin Becker of Germany in four sets. Agassi received a four-minute standing ovation from the crowd after the match and delivered a memorable retirement speech.

Earnings[link]

Agassi earned more than US$ 30 million in prize-money during his career, fifth only to Federer, Nadal, Sampras and Djokovic to date. He also earned more than US$25 million a year through endorsements during his career, fourth in all sports at the time.^[47]

In 1995, Andre Agassi signed a contract valued between $70 and $100 million with Nike (over $5 million/year), making Andre Agassi the best-paid athlete sponsored by Nike (from Andre Agassi, Through the Eyes of a Fan).

Post-retirement[link]

Since retiring after the 2006 US Open, Agassi has participated in a series of charity tournaments and continues his work with his own charity. On September 5, 2007, Agassi was a surprise guest commentator for the Andy Roddick/Roger Federer US Open quarter-final. He played an exhibition match at Wimbledon, teaming with his wife, Steffi Graf, to play with Tim Henman and Kim Clijsters. He played World Team Tennis for the Philadelphia Freedoms in the summer of 2009^[48] and played at the Outback Champions Series event for the first time. He played the Cancer Treatment Centers of America Tennis Championships at Surprise, Arizona, where he reached the final before bowing to eventual champion Todd Martin.^[49] On the way to the final, Agassi beat Mikael Pernfors in the quarter-finals and Wayne Ferreira in the semi-finals. He also announced that he will not be playing the tour on a full-time basis, and played the tournament as a favor to long-time friend Jim Courier.^[50]

Playing style[link]

Agassi continually put pressure on opponents with a preference to taking the ball early and was known for swinging deep angles like a powerful backhand up the line. His strength was in dictating play from the back of the court. While he was growing up, his father and Nick Bollettieri trained him in this way.^[51]

Personal and family life[link]

Agassi was married to Brooke Shields from 1997 to 1999. Agassi married Steffi Graf on October 22, 2001. Four days later, their son, Jaden Gil, was born. In October 2003, his daughter Jaz Elle was born.^[52]

Long-time trainer Gil Reyes has been called one of Agassi's closest friends; some have described him as being a "father figure" to Agassi.^[53][54]

In December 2008 Agassi's childhood friend and former business manager, Perry Rogers, sued Graf for $50,000 in management fees he claimed that she owed him.^[55][56]

Agassi's autobiography, Open (written with assistance from J. R. Moehringer^[57]), was published in November 2009. In it Agassi admitted that his once distinctive bushy mane actually was a wig, and that he used and tested positive for methamphetamine in 1997.^[35][58][59] In response to the latter revelation, Roger Federer declared himself shocked and disappointed,^[60] while Sergej Bubka declared that Agassi should have been disqualified.^[61] In an exclusive interview with CBS, Agassi justified himself and asked for understanding, saying that "It was a period in my life where I needed help."^[62] He also revealed that he had always hated tennis during his career because of the constant pressure it exerted on him. He also revealed he thought Pete Sampras was "robotic".^[63] The book reached No. 1 on the New York Times Best Seller list^[64] and received favorable reviews.^[65]

Politics[link]

Agassi has donated more than $100,000 to Democratic candidates.^[66] However, on September 1, 2010, when Agassi appeared on daily WNYC public radio program "The Brian Lehrer Show," Agassi stated that he is a registered Independent.^[67]

Philanthropy[link]

Agassi founded the Andre Agassi Charitable Association in 1994, which assists Las Vegas' young people. Agassi was awarded the ATP Arthur Ashe Humanitarian award in 1995 for his efforts to help disadvantaged youth. He regularly is cited as the most charitable and socially involved player in professional tennis. It also has been claimed that he may be the most charitable athlete of his generation.^[68]

Agassi's charities help in assisting children reach their athletic potential. His Boys & Girls Club sees 2,000 children throughout the year and boasts a world-class junior tennis team. It also has a basketball program (the Agassi Stars) and a rigorous system that encourages a mix of academics and athletics.

In 2001 Agassi opened the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy^[69] in Las Vegas, a tuition-free charter school for at-risk children in the area. In 2009 the graduating class had 100 percent graduation rate and expected a 100 percent college acceptance rate.^[70] Among other child-related programs that Agassi supports through his Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation is Clark County's only residential facility for abused and neglected children, Child Haven. In 1997 Agassi donated funding to Child Haven for a six-room classroom building now named the Agassi Center for Education. His foundation also provided $720,000 to assist in the building of the Andre Agassi Cottage for Medically Fragile Children. This 20-bed facility opened in December 2001, and accommodates developmentally delayed or handicapped children and children quarantined for infectious diseases.^[71]

In 2007 Agassi, Muhammad Ali, Lance Armstrong, Warrick Dunn, Jeff Gordon, Mia Hamm, Tony Hawk, Andrea Jaeger, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Mario Lemieux, Alonzo Mourning and Cal Ripken, Jr. founded the charity Athletes for Hope, which helps professional athletes get involved in charitable causes and aims to inspire all people to volunteer and support their communities.^{[citation needed]}

Recognition[link]

In 2005 Tennis magazine named him the 7th greatest male player—and 12th greatest player overall—for the period 1965 through 2005. On July 9, 2011, Agassi was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Newport, Rhode Island.^[5]

Records[link]

• These records were attained in Open Era of tennis.
• Records in bold indicate peer-less achievements.

Professional Awards[link]

• ITF World Champion: 1999.
• ATP Player of the Year: 1999.
• ATP Most Improved Player: 1988

Career statistics[link]

Video[link]

• Wimbledon 2000 Semi-Final – Agassi vs. Rafter (2003) Starring: Andre Agassi, Patrick Rafter; Standing Room Only, DVD Release Date: August 16, 2005, Run Time: 213 minutes, OCLC 61774054.
• Charlie Rose with Andre Agassi (May 7, 2001) Charlie Rose, Inc., DVD Release Date: August 15, 2006, Run Time: 57 minutes.
• Wimbledon: The Record Breakers (2005) Starring: Andre Agassi, Boris Becker; Standing Room Only, DVD Release Date: August 16, 2005, Run Time: 52 minutes, OCLC 61658553.

Video games[link]

• Andre Agassi Tennis for the SNES, Sega Genesis, Sega Game Gear, Master System, and Mobile phone
• Agassi Tennis Generation for PS2 and GBA
• Smash Court Pro Tournament for PS2
• Top Spin 4 (On cover of game) for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii

See also[link]

Tennis portal

• List of Grand Slam Men's Singles champions
• Tennis male players statistics
• Sampras-Agassi rivalry

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Agassi, Mike; Cobello, Dominic; Welsh, Kate (2004). The Agassi Story. Toronto: ECW Press. ISBN 978-1-55022-656-0. 
• Andre Agassi (2010). Open: An Autobiography (Vintage). London: Vintage. ISBN 0-307-38840-9. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Andre Agassi

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Andre Agassi

• Andre Agassi at the Association of Tennis Professionals
• Andre Agassi at the International Tennis Federation
• Andre Agassi at the Davis Cup
• Works by or about Andre Agassi in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• Profile at TheTennisChannel.com
• agassiopen.com
• The Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation
• For Agassi, it's substance over style, 2004
• Farewell to Tennis Speech at the U.S. Open
• Agassi's Tennis Hall of Fame Induction for Steffi Graf
• Andre Agassi at the Internet Movie Database

Andre Agassi (Achievement precedessor & successor) Sporting positions Preceded by Pete Sampras Pete Sampras Pete Sampras Pete Sampras Lleyton Hewitt Lleyton Hewitt World No. 1 April 10, 1995 - November 5, 1995 January 29, 1996 - February 11, 1996 July 26, 1999 - August 1, 1999 September 13, 1999 - September 10, 2000 April 28, 2003 - May 11, 2003 June 16, 2003 - September 7, 2003 Succeeded by Pete Sampras Thomas Muster Patrick Rafter Pete Sampras Lleyton Hewitt Juan Carlos Ferrero Awards and achievements Preceded by Pete Sampras ITF World Champion 1999 Succeeded by Gustavo Kuerten Preceded by Pete Sampras ATP Player of the Year 1999 Succeeded by Gustavo Kuerten Preceded by Paul McNamee Richard Krajicek ATP Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year 1995 2001 Succeeded by Paul Flory Amir Hadad & Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi Preceded by Peter Lundgren Patrick Rafter ATP Most Improved Player 1988 1998 Succeeded by Michael Chang Nicolás Lapentti Preceded by Pete Sampras ESPY Best Male Tennis Player 2000 Succeeded by Pete Sampras Preceded by Lleyton Hewitt ESPY Best Male Tennis Player 2003 Succeeded by Andy Roddick