In two decades of tennis, U.S. player Andre Agassi went from being the young
rebel with glam-rock hair to the grand "old man" with a head as smooth as a
clay court -- and one of the greatest players in the game's history. He began
playing professionally in 1986, and by 1988 had won more than $2 million in
prize money. Throughout the 1990s, men's tennis was dominated by the
back-and-forth rivalry of Agassi and Pete Sampras. Agassi's flashy clothes,
stylish hair and bad-boy attitude were the perfect counterpoint to Sampras's
steady, clean-cut power game. In his career Agassi won more than 850 singles
matches, including 60 titles, 8 Grand Slams and an Olympic Gold Medal (Atlanta,
1996). In later years Agassi shaved his head and became a more sober and
beloved figure in tennis, still ranking highly after 20 years in the game. In
2005 he made it to the finals of the U.S. Open at age 35 (he lost to Roger
Federer). Plagued by back problems, he retired after losing in the third round
the 2006 U.S. Open.
Agassi was married to actress Brooke Shields from 1997-99... He married tennis
great Steffi Graf in 2001, and they have two children... Agassi's sister was
married to tennis pro Pancho Gonzales... Agassi's father, Emmanuel "Mike"
Agassi, was an Olympic boxer for Iran in 1948 and 1952 before emigrating to
Chicago.
*In partnership with Octagon
