Agassi, Andre Kirk (1970– )
US tennis player who has won eight Grand Slam tournaments. A flamboyant right-handed player, renowned for his service returns and hard-hitting forehand, he turned professional in 1986 at the age of 16. He won the Wimbledon men's singles title in 1992. Two years later he became the first unseeded player since 1966 to win the US Open. In 1995 he again proved himself by winning the Australian Open at his first attempt. In 1999 he won the French Open to become only the fifth man in history to win all the Grand Slam singles titles. In 2003 he gained his eighth Grand Slam singles title by winning the Australian Open for the fourth time.
Career highlights
Wimbledon
1992
US Open
1994, 1999
French Open
1999
Australian Open
1995, 2000, 2001, 2003
ATP Tour World Championship
1990
ITF world champion
1999
Olympic Games
gold 1996
Davis Cup
1990, 1992, 1995
Tournament wins
61
Aside from his eight Grand Slam victories, he has also played in a further seven Grand Slam finals, reaching the final of the US Open six times in total. He played in the US teams which won the Davis Cup in 1990, 1992, and 1995. He first reached the number one ranking position in 1995. He won the Olympic men's singles title at the Atlanta Games in 1996. In July 1999, Agassi reached the final of the men's singles at Wimbledon where he lost to Pete Sampras. However, his good showing at Wimbledon, which followed his victory in the French Open, meant that when the next list of the ATP World Rankings was published after the final, Agassi was back in the number one spot for the first time since 1996.
| The Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation was established in 1994 to provide educational and recreational facilities to disadvantaged youths in Agassi's hometown of Las Vegas. |
