Andre Agassi has become a fixture in the tennis world, and thanks to a series of high profile relationships, sponsorship deals and a great will to win, he has become an indelible fixture of pop culture as well. His gold medal win in the Olympics, and the sheer number of championships he has won speak for themselves. In addition to being a media darling, Agassi knows tennis – and he knows it well.

Born in 1970 in Nevada, Andre’s father was certain that one of his sons would become a tennis player. In fact, it was his dream that at least one of them would go on to win four grand slams, a feat that Andre actually did accomplish. Although his father drove him hard, this gave him the foundation he needed to become a star in this game.

Out of all the male tennis players in history, Andre is the only one to have won a Golden Slam. After realizing his father’s dream of winning four Grand Slams, he career faltered a little bit due to back problems, but he managed to go out on top, despite the fact that he lost the last game that he played.

Andre remains one of the most well respected figures in the sport and is certainly one of the most talented. Few have come close to reaching his sheer amount of triumphs, but he has undoubtedly inspired a whole new generation to try to go for the gold and follow in his footsteps.

What is he doing now?

Due to severe back problems, Andre has now retired from tennis. He currently is married to Steffi Graff and they have two children. He stays busy with his charitable foundation and recently opened up a school in Las Vegas, his home town, for troubled and at risk youths.

Championships:

Year Championship
1992 Wimbledon
1994 US Open
1995 Australian Open
1999 French Open
1999 US Open (2nd)
2000 Australian Open (2nd)
2001 Australian Open (3rd)
2003 Australian Open (4th)

Interesting and Inspirational Quotes:

“Nothing can substitute for just plain hard work. I had to put in the time to get back. And it was a grind. It meant training and sweating every day. But I was completely committed to working out to prove to myself that I still could do it.”

“It has meant a lot to me to challenge the best players in the world and to beat them. And it means a lot to me to be out here and fighting for the title and, you know, it hurts not to win it.”

I think I've always had the shots. But in the past, I've suffered too many mental lapses. Now, I'm starting to get away from that and my mental discipline and commitment to the game are much better. I think I'm really taking a good look at the big picture. That's the difference between being around for the final or watching the final from my sofa at home.”

Originally posted 2008-09-29 05:04:26. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Athlete Profile, Male Profile, Tennis

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andre agassi, australian open, charitable foundation, footsteps, french open, gold medal, grand slams, inspirational quotes, last game, male tennis players, media darling, new generation, pop culture, risk youths, sheer number, sponsorship deals, steffi graff, tennis player, tennis world, triumphs