Andre Agassi: Difference between revisions

Andre Agassi

Country (sports)	United States
Residence	Las Vegas, USA
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Turned pro	1986 - 2006
Plays	Right
Prize money	$31,043,450
Singles
Career record	865-270
Career titles	60
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)
Doubles
Career record	40-42
Career titles	1
Highest ranking	No. 123 (August 17, 1992)
Last updated on: 28 June, 2006.

Andre Kirk Agassian (born April 29 1970, in Las Vegas, Nevada) is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. He has won eight Grand Slam singles titles, and is one of only five players to have won all four Grand Slam events. He is considered by many tennis fans to be among the all-time great tennis players. Agassi is the only male player in the Open Era to have won every Grand Slam singles title, the Masters, the Davis Cup and the Olympic Gold medal.

Agassi was married to the actress Brooke Shields from 1997 to 1999. Since 2001, he has been married to the former World No. 1 woman tennis player Steffi Graf, with whom he has two children. He also dated singer Barbra Streisand.

On June 24, 2006, Agassi announced that he would retire from tennis after the 2006 U.S. Open, bringing an end to his twenty year professional tennis career.[1]

Early life

Agassi's father, Emmanuel "Mike" Agassian (who represented Iran in boxing at the 1948 and 1952 Olympic Games before emigrating to the United States), was intent on having a child win all four tennis Grand Slams. He called Agassi's two older siblings "guinea pigs" in the development of his coaching techniques. He honed Andre's eye-coordination when he was an infant by hanging tennis balls above his crib. He gave Agassi paddles and balloons when he was still in a high chair. When Agassi started playing tennis, his ball collection filled 60 garbage cans with 300 balls per can, and Agassi would hit 3,000-5,000 balls every day. When Andre was five years old, he was already practicing with pros such as Jimmy Connors and Roscoe Tanner.

Mike Agassi learned tennis by watching tapes of champions. Mike Agassi took a very systematic approach to the physics and psychology of tennis, and still remains active in the sport. (More information can be found in Mike Agassi's book, The Agassi Story.)

At age of 14, Andre was sent to teaching guru Nick Bollettieri's Tennis Academy in Florida. He turned professional when he was 16.

Tennis career

1986-1997

Agassi turned professional in 1986, and won his first top-level singles title in 1987 at Itaparica. He won six further tournaments in 1988, and by December that year he had surpassed US$2 million in career prize money after playing in just 43 tournaments – the quickest player in history to do so.

As a young up-and-coming player, Agassi embraced a rebel image. He grew his hair to rocker length, sported an ear-ring, and wore colorful shirts that pushed tennis' still-strict sartorial boundaries. He boasted of a cheeseburger diet and endorsed the Canon Rebel camera. "Image is everything" was the ad's line, and it became Andre's as well.

Strong performances on the tour meant that Agassi was quickly tipped as a future Grand Slam champion. But he began the 1990s with a series of near-misses. He reached his first Grand Slam final in 1990 at the French Open, where he lost in four sets to the seasoned veteran player Andrés Gómez. Later that year he lost in the final of the US Open to another up-and-coming teenaged star, Pete Sampras. The rivalry between these two American players was to become the dominant rivalry in tennis over the rest of the decade. In 1991, Agassi reached his second consecutive French Open final where he faced his former Bollettieri Academy-mate Jim Courier. Courier emerged the victor in a dramatic rain showdown five-set final.

Agassi chose not to play at Wimbledon from 1988-90, and publicly stated that he did not wish to play there because of the event's traditionalism, particularly its "predominantly-white" dress code which players at the event are required to conform to. Many observers at the time speculated that Agassi's real motivation was that his strong baseline game would not be well suited to Wimbledon's grass court surface. Agassi decided to play at Wimbledon in 1991, leading to weeks of speculation in the media about what he would wear – he eventually emerged for the first round in a completely white outfit. He reached the quarter-finals on that occasion.

To the surprise of many, Agassi's Grand Slam breakthrough came at Wimbledon in 1992, when he beat Goran Ivanišević in a tight five-set final. Along the way Agassi's sublime baseline counter-punching dispatched 2 former Wimbledon champions in Boris Becker and John McEnroe, as well as, one future Wimbledon champion in Ivanišević, who went on to claim the title in 2001. No other baseliner would triumph at Wimbledon until Lleyton Hewitt ten years later.

Following wrist surgery in 1993, Agassi came back strongly in 1994 by becoming the first man to capture the US Open as an unseeded player, beating Michael Stich in the final after a stirring quarter-final performance against Michael Chang. He then captured his first Australian Open title in 1995, beating Sampras in a four-set final. He won a career-high seven titles that year and he reached the World No. 1 ranking for the first time that April. He held it for 30 weeks on that occasion through to November. He compiled a career-best 26-match winning streak during the summer hardcourt circuit, which ended when he lost in the US Open final to Sampras.

In 1995, Agassi won seven singles titles, the biggest being the Australian Open, the Cincinnati Masters, the Miami Masters, and the Canada Masters. In terms of win/loss record, 1995 was Agassi's best year (72/10) (includes Davis Cup). This is slightly short of Sampras's best season, 1994, in which he (Sampras) won 77 matches and lost 12. In 1996, Agassi won the men's singles Gold Medal at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, beating Sergi Bruguera of Spain in straight sets in the final. He also repeated at the Cincinnati Masters and the Miami Masters.

1997 was a bad year for Agassi. He won no top-level titles and his ranking sank to World No. 141 in November. His form was perhaps affected by the intense publicity surrounding his high-profile and turbulent relationship and marriage to actress Brooke Shields.

1998-2004

In 1998, Agassi rededicated himself to tennis. Agassi, who shaved his balding head just before the 1995 Australian Open, began a rigorous conditioning program, and worked his way back up the rankings by playing in Challenger Series tournaments (a circuit for professional players ranked outside the world's top 50). Perhaps most remarkably, the one-time rebel emerged as a gracious and thoughtful athlete, looked up to by younger players. After winning matches, he took to bowing and blowing a two-handed kisses to spectators on each side of the court, a gesture seen as a rather humble acknowledgment of their support for him and for tennis.

In 1998, Agassi won five titles and leapt from No. 141 on the rankings at the start of the year, to No. 6 at the end of it, making it the highest jump into the Top 10 made by any player in tennis. He won five titles in ten finals, and finished runner-up at the Miami Masters.

Agassi entered the history books in 1999 when he came from two sets to love down to beat Andrei Medvedev in a five-set French Open final to become only the fifth male player to have won all four Grand Slam singles titles (a feat last achieved in the 1960s by Rod Laver). He is the only male player in history to have won all four Grand Slam titles on different surfaces, a tribute to his adaptabilty. He followed this up by reaching the Wimbledon final, where he lost to Sampras. He then won the US Open, beating Todd Martin in five sets in the final, and finished the year ranked the World No. 1.

Agassi began 2000 by capturing his second Australian Open title, beating Yevgeny Kafelnikov in a four-set final. He was the first male player to have reached four consecutive Grand Slam finals since Rod Laver achieved the Grand Slam in 1969. 2000 also saw Agassi reach the semi-finals at Wimbledon, where he lost in five sets to Patrick Rafter in a very high quality battle considered by many to be one of the best matches ever played at Wimbledon [2]. At the inaugural Tennis Masters Cup in Lisbon, Agassi made it all the way to 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 eventually lost to Gustavo Kuerten 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. This loss allowed Kuerten to be crowned year end World No. 1. 2000 is considered by many of his fans to be a disappointing season for Agassi, as he managed to win only one tournament (2000 Australian Open).

Agassi opened 2001 by successfully defending his Australian Open title with a straight-sets final win over Arnaud Clement. At Wimbledon, he battled Rafter again in the semi-finals and lost 8-6 in the fifth set. At the US Open he lost in the quarter-finals to Sampras in what is considered to be one of tournament's all-time greatest matches. Sampras won 6-7, 7-6, 7-6, 7-6 in a match with no breaks of serve.

Agassi and Sampras' last duel came in the final of the US Open in 2002. The battle between the two veterans saw Sampras emerge victorious in four sets, and left Sampras with a 20-14 edge in their 34 career meetings. (The match in fact proved to be the last of Sampras' career. He did not play in an event on the professional tour again, and officially announced his retirement in 2003.) Agassi's US Open finish, along with his victories at the Miami Masters, Rome Masters, and Madrid Masters, helped him finish 2002 as the oldest year-end No. 2 at 32 years and 8 months.

In 2003, Agassi won the eighth Grand Slam title of his career at the Australian Open, where he beat Rainer Schüttler in straight sets in the final. In May that year, he recaptured the World No.1 ranking to become the oldest No. 1 ranked male tennis player in history at 33 years and 13 days. This victory was largely attributed to his now famous conditioning, a far cry from the cheeseburger-gobbling teen seen early in Agassi's career. He held the No. 1 ranking on that occasion for 13 weeks. At the year-end Tennis Masters Cup, he lost in the final to Roger Federer and finished the year ranked World No. 4.

In 2004, the 34-year-old Agassi won the Cincinnati Masters to bring his career total to 59 top-level singles titles and a record 17 ATP Masters Series titles. He became the second-oldest singles champion in Cincinnati's storied history (the tournament began in 1899), surpassed only by Ken Rosewall who won the title in 1970 at age 35.

Agassi has also won one doubles title (at the Cincinnati Masters in 1993, partnering Petr Korda). He is one of only five male players to have won all the Grand Slams – along with legends Don Budge, Roy Emerson, Rod Laver and Fred Perry. He is in fact the first male tennis player to win the four Grand Slams on four different surfaces. The previous players won the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open on grass courts and the French Open on clay courts; whereas Agassi won the Australian Open on Rebound Ace, the French Open on clay, Wimbledon on grass, and the US Open on hardcourts.

After winning the French Open in 1999, Agassi became the first male tennis player to win the Career Golden Slam. Agassi also helped the United States win the Davis Cup in 1990 and 1992. He was named the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year in 1992. Agassi has earned more than US$30 million in prize-money throughout his career, second only to Sampras. In addition to this, he also earns over US$25 million a year through endorsements, the most by any tennis player and fourth in all sports (first place is Tiger Woods at US$70 million a year).

2005

Agassi started off 2005 with strong runs, most of which were cut short by Roger Federer. He lost to Federer in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and the semifinals at Dubai. He reached the quarterfinals at Indian Wells after a dominant victory over Guillermo Coria, but withdrew from his match with Lleyton Hewitt with a swollen big toe. Agassi lost in the semifinals at Miami to Federer in a tight match. Although the claycourt season is the toughest on the body, Agassi played in Rome and reached the semifinals which he lost to Coria in a tough battle. At the 2005 French Open, Agassi lost to Jarkko Nieminen, in their first-round match after enduring back pain related to a pinched sciatic nerve. He lost in five sets with 6-0 in the fifth.

After much media speculation about retirement, the 35-year-old Agassi won in Los Angeles and made the final at Montreal before falling to world No. 2 Rafael Nadal in three long sets that he might have won if a few points had gone differently. His coach Darren Cahill and close friend and personal trainer Gil Reyes worked with Agassi throughout the summer to prepare for the 2005 US Open. Agassi made a spectacular run at the Open, beating Razvan Sabau 6-3, 6-3, 6-1, Ivo Karlovic in the second round 7-6(7-4), 7-6(7-5), 7-6(7-4); Tomáš Berdych 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6(7-2); and Xavier Malisse 6-3, 6-4, 6-7(5-7), 4-6, 6-2. His quarterfinal match against fellow American James Blake has been called one of the best matches in US Open history. After dropping the first two sets, 3-6, 3-6, Agassi took the next two, 6-3, 6-3. In the fifth set, Blake served for the match at 5-4, but Agassi broke his serve, then won the tiebreak 8-6 to secure the victory at 1:15 a.m.

He defeated Robby Ginepri, another rising, talented American with a consistent baseline game, in his third consecutive five-set match to earn a spot in the final against World No. 1 Roger Federer. After losing the first set 6-3, Agassi broke Federer twice to win the second, 6-2. He broke Federer again and at this point looked to be the better player. Agassi had a 30-love lead but with a few costly errors was broken to force a tiebreak, which Federer took, 7-1. Andre ran out of gas which allowed Federer to reel off five straight games. Being down 5-0 in the fourth set, Agassi held to make it 5-1 before Federer closed it out to win the championship. After the match, Agassi thanked New York for the 20 years of memories, hinting at potential retirement. However, Agassi has made clear that he will only retire on his terms, when he feels that he cannot perform at his best on the court.

Coming into the 2005 Masters Cup, Agassi was 29-5 on hard courts (with his only losses coming to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal), and was 5-4 on clay (wins over Gasquet, Ljubičić, and Hrbaty, losses to Coria and Lopez). If he had not played the clay season and injured himself, he would have been able to play in Wimbledon on a fast court that suits his game much better. He was undeniably still one of the best players in the world at 35 years old.

Although he qualified for the 2005 Masters Cup in Shanghai, he withdrew from the tournament after losing 6-4, 6-2 to Nikolay Davydenko, hampered by his ankle, which he had sprained three-weeks prior while playing racquetball. Although it was clear that Agassi was injured, the tournament director, already furious from the withdrawals by Nadal, Roddick, Hewitt, and Safin, accused Agassi of playing badly just because the tournament was held in Shanghai. This was proven to be false, as Agassi eventually had to withdraw from the 2006 Australian Open due to the same injury.

In 2005, Agassi left Nike after 17 years and signed an endorsement deal with Adidas (see [3]).

2006

Agassi had a bad start to 2006. He was still recovering from his ankle injury and also suffering from his back/leg pain and lack of match play. Agassi withdrew from the Australian Open because of the ankle injury. He lost in the quarterfinals of Delray Beach to Guillermo García Lopez 4-6, 2-6. He was then forced to withdraw from SAP Open because of nagging pains.

He then played in the Dubai Open where he won in straight sets over Greg Rusedski in the first round before losing in straights to German Bjorn Phau in second round.

He then played in the Pacific Life Open, Indian Wells and had a first round bye. In second round he defeated Paul Goldstein in three sets before losing in straight sets to German Tommy Haas in third round.

Because of back pain, Agassi withdrew just two hours before his second round match against Christophe Rochus at the NASDAQ-100 Open, Miami (in which he was the tenth seed) after having received a bye in the first round. In press conferences, Agassi appeared extremely disappointed that his injuries were keeping him from achieving his level in 2005, and was unsure of his future.

Agassi then skipped the entire clay season. He would have done so even without the nagging back problems, since the tough clay season has in the past caused him to miss Wimbledon. Due to missing the clay season, including the French Open, his ranking dropped to within the 20's.

Agassi returned to the tour at the Stella Artois Queen's Club Championships in mid June. Other players in this tournament included Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick, Ivan Ljubičić, and James Blake. However, it was an old British rival Tim Henman who got the better of him, defeating him in two tight sets 4/6 4/6 in the first round.

In the wake of his first round defeat at Queen's Club, Agassi entered the Boodles Challenge Grass Court Tournament (Exhibition) at the Stoke Park Club in Buckinghamshire, England. Agassi downed Jamie Baker 6/4 6/4 in his opener, but then fell 3-6, 6-7 (2) to Mikhail Youzhny in the Semi-Finals. Agassi was then defeated in the "third place" match by powerful up-and-coming Serb, Novak Djokovic in 2 sets. Despite his 1-2 record in the exhibition tournament, Agassi said he considered the Boodles Challenge "perfect preparation" for Wimbledon.

Agassi, the 1992 Champion, is seeded 25th at this year's Wimbledon Championships and appears to have a relatively mild draw to start out after being placed on the opposite half from Wimbledon master Roger Federer. Agassi kicked off his Wimbledon campaign with a 4 set victory over Boris Pashanski. The relatively unknown Italian Andreas Seppi (World #68) will be his 2nd round opponent. Should Agassi get through the 2nd Round- a potential third round showdown looms with World #2 Rafael Nadal, who has not had great success on grass thus far in his career. Possible opponents should Agassi advance past the 3rd round include clay court specialist Gaston Gaudio, World #6 Nikolay Davydenko and either 2002 Wimbledon Champion Lleyton Hewitt or 2-time Wimbledon Finalist Andy Roddick in the semis. This marks Agassi's first appearance at Wimbledon since 2003, and with no points to defend, represents a good opportunity for Agassi to make-up some ground in the rankings before the US summer hard court season.

On June 24, 2006, Agassi announced that he will retire after the 2006 U.S. Open.[4]

Playing style

Agassi employs a baseline style of play, but unlike most such players, he typically makes contact with the ball inside the baseline -- exceptionally difficult even for professionals. This is possible because of his short backswing, which also helps him return fast serves. John McEnroe and others have called Agassi the best service returner ever to play professional tennis. Many, including Brad Gilbert, call him the best ball striker in the history of tennis.

After Agassi's rededication to tennis in 1998, he has focused more on physical conditioning than in the past and is now, even at the age of 36, one of the fittest players on the tour. His upper-body strength allows him to bench press 350 lb (159 kg). He has remarkable endurance and rarely appears tired on court. As long as he is not injured, he handles long, grueling matches arguably better than any other player on the tour (even Roger Federer has been known to tire by the fifth set).

Indeed, Agassi is often ready to start the next point when his opponent is catching his breath. One of his strategies is to wear down his opponents, continually putting pressure on them by returning the ball early and at deep angles. Agassi will try to stand in nearly one spot and hit the corners to make his opponent scramble. He will often pass up the winner and hit a slightly less aggressive shot to make his opponent run a little more to retrieve a few more shots. His penchant for running players around point after point has earned him the nickname "The Punisher".

Agassi's biggest weakness currently is his lack of consistent speed, and players who are able to consistently hit at sharp angles with pace give him trouble. Agassi used to be one of the fastest players on tour; however, his recent injuries have forced him to consistently run his fastest selectively, usually in Grand Slams and Tennis Masters Series events.

To make up for this recently-adopted weakness, Agassi generally keeps his opponent on the defense. (Federer is the only player with a long winning streak against Agassi currently because of Agassi's much faded court coverage abilities/speed, as Roger can hit sharp angles with his forehand and exposes Agassi's weakness). Most players cannot do this as Agassi is dominating from the baseline; even Federer had difficulty in their US Open final, in which Agassi, rather than going for winners as he had in their previous match-ups, decided to play within himself and as a result often controlled the rallies.

Although now officially retired from the Australian Open and French Open, and a question mark at this year's Wimbledon, Agassi (when healthy) remains very much in contention at the US Open- as evidenced by his deep runs at Flushing Meadows over the last several years.

Personal and family life

After a four-year courtship, Agassi married actress Brooke Shields in a lavish ceremony on April 19, 1997. That February, they had filed suit against The National Enquirer claiming it printed "false and fabricated" statements: Shields was undergoing counseling, binge-eating and taking pills; Agassi "lashed into" Shields and he and Shields' mother "tangled like wildcats" when she demanded a prenuptial agreement; the case was dismissed. Agassi filed for divorce, which was granted on April 9, 1999.

By the time the divorce was final, Agassi was dating German tennis legend Steffi Graf. With only their mothers as witnesses, they were married at his home on October 22, 2001. Their son, Jaden Gil, was born six weeks premature on October 26, 2001. Their daughter, Jaz Elle, was born on October 3, 2003.

The couple own homes in Las Vegas, Tiburon San Francisco, Manhattan New York and Germany. Agassi paid $23 million for the a six-bedroom, eight-bathroom house in Tiburon with a tennis court, two swimming pools, a four-bedroom staff house and panoramic views of the Golden Gate Bridge, bought the mansion from billionaire John E. McCaw Jr. of Seattle, the former owner of Cellular One. Agassi also owns a 10-seat jet with call letters on the tail representing his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in July 1992 (N-792AA) [5]

Agassi bought the mansion from billionaire John E. McCaw Jr. of Seattle, the former owner of Cellular One.

Agassi's older sister, Rita, married the former tennis legend Pancho Gonzales. In 1995, when Gonzales died in Las Vegas, Andre paid for his brother-in-law's funeral.

Agassi has participated in many charity organizations, and founded the Andre Agassi Charitable Association, which assists the youth of Las Vegas. In 1995, he has won 1995's ATP Arthur Ashe's Humanitarian award in recognition of his efforts helping disadvantaged youth in LA. Agassi is also a staunch Democrat and has donated over $84,000 for different Democratic candidates.

The Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation has always and will continue to fund organizations which offer programs that consistently carry out the mission of the Foundation. The Foundation's mission is to provide educational and recreational institutions and activities for abandoned, abused, and at-risk kids. The following organizations are fine examples:

The Andre Agassi Boys & Girls Club

In 1997, Agassi opened the Boys & Girls Club, a 25,000-square-foot facility that features an indoor basketball court, outdoor tennis courts, a computer lab, library and teen centre. It sees as many as 400 children a day in the summer and well over 2,000 during the year.

Its junior tennis team, Team Agassi, includes mostly players with no previous tennis experience. As of January 2006, the team boasted four nationally ranked players as well as a number of regionally ranked players. Coached by Tim Blenkiron, the group practices regularly, attends study sessions, and often travels to play in various tournaments. The program also encourages members to respect each other and appreciate the challenges of winning and losing.

A basketball program, the Agassi Stars, began in 2000. Headed by Coach Jermone Riley, the Stars are required to attend study hall sessions, write to universities they might be interested in attending, and balance athletics and education.

The Foundation hopes to make these programs a college recruiting ground for kids with academic as well as athletic potential. In a community where drugs and gangs are prevalent forces, the Agassi Club promotes learning and gives kids a safe place to go after school.

Ethnicity

Agassi's ethnicity, beyond being an American citizen, has been a subject of discussion by fans around the world. His father Mike Agassi is an Iranian of Armenian and Assyrian ethnicity, born in the Assyrian village of Saralan, near Urmia, Iran.[6] There have been attempts to "claim" Agassi by both the Armenian and Iranian communities in the United States and abroad. Agassi has often seemed somewhat ambivalent, for example, joking after his "All-Armenian" match against Sargis Sargsian at the US Open in 2004, "Well, I'm only half-Armenian" [7], though he agreed to appear in a PBS documentary about [8] Armenian-Americans.

His father has written in his book, The Agassi Story, about his experience in Iran, but Andre has also shown interest in the Iranian aspect of his heritage, in February 2005 expressing a desire to visit Iran, which holds "a special place" in his heart [9].

Quotes

• About Pete Sampras' retirement: "You grow up with a guy, you compete against him for so long, he's such a big part of your career, something that's pretty special, so you do have that sense of personal regret that he's not around any more. You miss having that around."
• During the 2005 US Open: "I've been motivated by overcoming challenge and overcoming the hurdles and obstacles that face me. There still is plenty out there to get motivated by."
• (from Mats Wilander, asked to name the top 5 tennis players of all time; he placed Agassi, Sampras, Federer, and Borg in the top 4 (in no order) and tied McEnroe, Lendl, and Connors for fifth place): ON AGASSI: “He has some limitations, like he can’t serve and volley, yet he has won all four Slams. He has a very high energy level, quite like Borg. He is on fifth gear from the very first point. There is some abnormality in his eyes, otherwise he wouldn’t have had such a phenomenal return. He sees the ball like none else and just guides it wherever he wants to. He’s just played a Grand Slam final at 35, that tells me he wasted the first five years of his career, otherwise he couldn’t have lasted this long. No one has done more to tennis than Agassi and Borg.”

Grand Slam finals

Wins (8)

Year   Championship      Opponent in Final      Score in Final
1992   Wimbledon         Goran Ivanišević       6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4
1994   US Open           Michael Stich          6-1, 7-6, 7-5
1995   Australian Open   Pete Sampras           4-6, 6-1, 7-6, 6-4
1999   French Open       Andrei Medvedev        1-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4
1999   US Open           Todd Martin            6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 6-3, 6-2
2000   Australian Open   Yevgeny Kafelnikov     3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
2001   Australian Open   Arnaud Clement         6-4, 6-2, 6-2
2003   Australian Open   Rainer Schuettler      6-2, 6-2, 6-1

Runner-ups (7)

Year     Championship   Opponent in Final    Score in Final
1990     French Open    Andres Gomez         6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
1990     US Open        Pete Sampras         6-4, 6-3, 6-2
1991     French Open    Jim Courier          3-6, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 
1995     US Open        Pete Sampras         6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5
1999     Wimbledon      Pete Sampras         6-3, 6-4, 7-5
2002     US Open        Pete Sampras         6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4
2005     US Open        Roger Federer        6-3, 2-6, 7-6, 6-1

Grand Slam record

Australian Open

• Singles champion: 1995, 2000, 2001, 2003
• Singles semi-finalist: 1996, 2004
• Singles quarter-finalist: 2005

French Open

• Singles champion: 1999
• Singles finalist: 1990, 1991
• Singles semi-finalist: 1988, 1992
• Singles quarter-finalist: 1995, 2001, 2002, 2003
• Doubles quarter-finalist: 1992

Wimbledon

• Singles champion: 1992
• Singles finalist: 1999
• Singles semi-finalist: 1995, 2000, 2001
• Singles quarter-finalist: 1991, 1993

US Open

• Singles champion: 1994, 1999
• Singles finalist: 1990, 1995, 2002, 2005
• Singles semi-finalist: 1988, 1989, 1996, 2003
• Singles quarter-finalist: 1992, 2001, 2004

ATP Masters Series Finals

Wins (17)

Year   Championship      Opponent in Final
1990   Miami             Stefan Edberg          
1992   Canada            Ivan Lendl          
1994   Canada            Jason Stoltenberg
1994   Paris             Marc Rosset
1995   Miami             Pete Sampras
1995   Canada            Pete Sampras
1995   Cincinnati        Michael Chang
1996   Miami             Goran Ivanisevic
1996   Cincinnati        Michael Chang
1999   Paris             Marat Safin
2001   Miami             Jan-Michael Gambill
2001   Indian Wells      Pete Sampras
2002   Miami             Roger Federer
2002   Rome              Tommy Haas
2002   Madrid            Jiri Novak
2003   Miami             Carlos Moya
2004   Cincinnati        Lleyton Hewitt

Runner-ups (6)

Year     Championship   Opponent in Final    
1989     Rome           Alberto Mancini
1990     Indian Wells   Stefan Edberg
1994     Miami          Pete Sampras         
1995     Indian Wells   Pete Sampras 
1998     Miami          Marcelo Rios
2005     Canada         Rafael Nadal

AMS record

Miami

• Singles champion: 1990, 1995, 1996, 2001, 2002, 2003
• Singles Runner-up: 1994, 1998
• Singles semi-finalist: 2000, 2005

Indian Wells

• Singles champion: 2001
• Singles finalist: 1990, 1995
• Singles semi-finalist: 1988, 2004
• Singles quarter-finalist: 1989, 1996, 1998, 2005

Canada

• Singles champion: 1992, 1994, 1995
• Singles finalist: 2005
• Singles semi-finalist: 1989, 1998, 1999
• Singles quarter-finalist: 1990, 1993, 2003

Cincinnati

• Singles champion: 1995, 1996, 2004
• Singles semi-finalist: 1993, 1999
• Singles quarter-finalist: 2002

Paris

• Singles champion: 1994, 1999
• Singles quarter-finalist: 1998, 2002

Rome

• Singles champion: 2002
• Singles finalist: 1989
• Singles semi-finalist: 2005
• Singles quarter-finalist: 1988

Madrid/Stuttgart/Essen

• Singles champion: 2002
• Singles semi-finalist: 2004
• Singles quarter-finalist: 1999

Famous matches

• US Open quarterfinal 1989: defeated Jimmy Connors 6-1, 4-6, 0-6, 6-3, 6-4. Agassi's first five-set win. At one point during a changeover, Agassi joked to his box that he was losing sets on purpose to prove that he could win in five. The previous time he played Connors was at the 1988 US Open quarterfinal in which he beat Connors convincingly and did not lose a set.
• French Open final 1990: lost to Andrés Gómez 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. Agassi's first Grand Slam final.
• US Open final 1990: lost to Pete Sampras 6-4, 6-3, 6-2. The first of five Grand Slam finals contested by the top two players of their generation.
• French Open final 1991: lost to Jim Courier 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, 1-6, 4-6. Blew 2 sets to 1 lead after rain delay. After losing his first three grand slam finals, despite entering the match as the favorite each time, many questioned if Agassi had the heart to win a major championship.
• Wimbledon final 1992: defeated Goran Ivanišević 6-7(8), 6-4, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4. Agassi's first Grand Slam title occurring at the tournament no one thought he could ever win. Still his only Wimbledon championship.
• Wimbledon quarterfinal 1993: lost to Pete Sampras 6-2, 6-2, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4. The first of only two 5-set matches between the two (The other was the 2000 Australian Open semis).
• US Open 4th Round 1994: defeated Michael Chang 6-1, 6-7(3), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. Outlasts Chang en route to becoming the first unseeded man to win the US Open championship in 28 years. Knocked off five seeded players along the way. First US Open title.
• Australian Open 1995 final: defeated Pete Sampras 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(6), 6-4. Agassi's only Grand Slam Final victory over Sampras.
• Atlanta Summer Olympics Gold Medal Match 1996: defeated Serge Bruguera 6-2, 6-3, 6-1. Demolished two-time French Open Champion to achieve important personal goal of winning an Olympic Gold Medal.
• French Open 1st round 1998: lost to Marat Safin 7-5, 5-7, 2-6, 6-3, 2-6 in what was the Russian's first Grand Slam match and breakout Slam (Safin also would defeat defending champion Gustavo Kuerten).
• French Open final 1999: defeated Andrei Medvedev 1-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4. A spectacular come-from-behind victory that completed his career Grand Slam at the "advanced" age of 29, and his return to the top of tennis after being as low as #141. Referred to as the "Miracle in Paris". Agassi has stated that he considers this his greatest moment on a tennis court.
• US Open final 1999: defeated Todd Martin 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-2. Agassi prevailed in another come-from-behind thriller to secure his second US Open title.
• Australian Open 2000 semi-final: defeated Pete Sampras 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(0), 7-6(5), 6-1. En route to his second Australian Open crown. The fourth-set tiebreaker is noted as being one of the most intense of their rivalry and Tennis Magazine stated: "This was Sampras-Agassi for the ages."
• Wimbledon semi-final 2000: lost to Patrick Rafter 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3. This match was universally praised for its aesthetic beauty as the world's greatest baseliner battled the game's most fluid and athletic volleyer over five tense sets.
• Australian Open 2001 semi-final: defeated Patrick Rafter 7-5, 2-6, 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-3. Exacted some revenge for 2000 Wimbledon semi loss to Rafter. Rallied from 2 sets to 1 down to stun Rafter in front of an energized Australian crowd.
• Wimbledon semi-final 2001: lost to Patrick Rafter 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-8. Although not considered possible, the rematch topped the standard set by their encounter from the year before.
• US Open 2001 quarter-final: lost to Pete Sampras 6-7(9), 7-6(2), 7-6(2), 7-6(5). Match featured no breaks of serve. Many consider this the best Agassi-Sampras match played; combined the two had 133 winners and only 57 unforced errors (Agassi had 53 winners and 19 errors).
• US Open 2002 final: lost to Pete Sampras 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4. Sampras' final competitive match.
• French Open 2003 2nd round: defeated Mario Ančić 5-7, 1-6, 6-4, 6-2, 7-5. Rallied back from two sets to love against the young and powerful Ančić to win the match. One of only six matches Agassi has won after being down two sets to love. Three of them have been at the French Open.
• French Open 2004 1st round: lost to Jerome Haehnel 4-6, 6-7(4), 3-6. Shock first round loss to lowly French career journeyman. Arguably the greatest upset in French Open history.
• Defeated Andy Roddick in the semifinals in an epic at the Cincinnati Masters, 7-5, 6-7(2), 7-6(2). Although Agassi would win the next day against Lleyton Hewitt to take his record 17th ATP Masters Series title, his match with Roddick would be honored by the ATP Tour as one of the top five matches in men's tennis in 2004.
• US Open 2004 quarter-final: lost to Roger Federer 3-6, 6-2, 5-7, 6-3, 3-6. 5th set marred by record-breaking winds. By far Roger Federer's most difficult match en route to the title.
• Australian Open 2005 4th round: defeated Joachim Johansson 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 7-6(3), 6-4. Won despite Johansson's world-record 51 aces.
• US Open 2005 quarter-final: defeated James Blake 3-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-6(6). Agassi had never come back from two sets down in the US Open. This was called the best match of the 2005 Open and one of the best in US Open history.
• US Open 2005 semi-final: defeated Robby Ginepri in his third consecutive five-set thriller: 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. At 35 years old, he played his best tennis in the fifth set.
• US Open 2005, final: lost to Roger Federer in his sixth US Open final. In the finale of Agassi's magic run at the Open which included 3 five-set matches in a row, Agassi met Federer and appeared to have the upper hand, being up a break in the third set with the match tied at one set each. However, Federer withstood the pressure and rallied to beat Agassi 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(1), 6-1.

Titles (60)

Singles (60)

Doubles (1)

Performance timeline

Note: Master Series tournaments began in 1990. ** Qualified in 1995, but withdrew due to injury.

Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-8 (quarter finals up to finalist).

Head-to-Head

• vs. Sampras, Pete: 14-20
• vs. Roddick, Andy: 5-1
• vs. Ginepri, Robby: 4-0
• vs. Blake, James: 4-1
• vs. Dent, Taylor: 5-0
• vs. Kiefer, Nicolas: 6-0
• vs. Rusedski, Greg: 8-2
• vs. Henman, Tim: 2-2
• vs. Johansson, Thomas: 6-1
• vs. Novak, Jiri: 5-1
• vs. Gaudio, Gaston: 4-1
• vs. Davydenko, Nikolay: 2-1
• vs. Coria, Guillermo: 5-2
• vs. Chang, Michael: 15-7
• vs. Ivanisevic, Goran: 4-3
• vs. Rafter, Patrick: 10-5
• vs. Connors, Jimmy: 2-0
• vs. McEnroe, John: 2-2
• vs. Becker, Boris: 10-4
• vs. Safin, Marat: 3-3
• vs. Hewitt, Lleyton: 4-4
• vs. Courier, Jim: 5-7
• vs. Ríos, Marcelo: 1-2
• vs. Muster, Thomas: 5-4
• vs. Federer, Roger: 3-8
• vs. Nadal, Rafael: 0-1
• vs. Grosjean, Sebastien: 4-3
• vs. Nalbandian, David: 1-0
• vs. Ferrero, Juan Carlos: 2-3
• vs. Kuerten, Gustavo: 7-4
• vs. Corretja, Alex: 5-3
• vs. Costa, Albert: 4-1
• vs. Moya, Carlos: 3-1
• vs. Malisse, Xavier: 5-0
• vs. Pioline, Cedric: 3-0
• vs. Haas, Tommy: 7-4

Video games

• Andre Agassi Tennis for the SNES, Sega Genesis, Game Gear, and Mobile phone
• Agassi Tennis Generation for PS2 and GBA
• Smash Court Pro Tournament for PS2

External links

• Official ATP profile
• Profile on tenniscorner.net
• Davis Cup record
• Andre Agassi Foundation
• IOC profile
• Agassi Open