The Career of Andre Agassi

Andre Agassi was born on April 29, 1970 in Las Vegas, Nevada to parents of Assyrian and Armenian descent. Agassi’s father not only encouraged him to develop his tennis skills; he was known to be quite strict and bad-tempered when his son would not perform as expected.

At age 13, Agassi enrolled in Florida’s Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. After seeing Agassi’s ability, Bollettieri let him attend the academy free of charge.

When Agassi was 16, he turned pro and won his first professional tournament. By the end of that year, he was ranked 91 in the world. Agassi’s baseline tennis style demonstrated his incredible hand/eye coordination and ability to return serves with great force. Agassi has the distinction of being called the best ball striker in tennis.

At age 28, Agassi concentrated heavily on becoming physically fit, which gave him the stamina to stay fresh and active on the court, and to wear down his components. At this point, his nickname became “The Punisher.”

Agassi is perhaps one of the most successful tennis players of all time. Just a few of his accomplishments include winning eight Grand Slam singles tournaments, an Olympic Gold Medal, a career Golden Slam, the Tennis Masters Cup, and 17 ATP Masters Series tournaments. He was also named the 12th greatest tennis player (male or female) between 1965 and 2005 by Tennis Magazine.

After the 2006 US Open, Agassi decided to retire. He still participates in charity tournaments and is heavily involved in his own charitable cause, the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation, which is an organization dedicated to improving public education.

Agassi married actress Brooke Shields in 1997 and they divorced two years later. Then in 2001, he married tennis star Steffi Graf. The couple has two children and reside in Las Vegas.