Andre Agassi Facts & Latest Photo

Andre Agassi With Trophy
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Andre Agassi Happy Family
Andre Agassi When He Was Young
Andre Agassi Tennis
Andre Agassi Shining Teeths

Andre Kirk Agassi was born on April 29, 1970. He is a former number one male singles tennis player. He has won eight Grand Slam singles titles, and has an Olympic gold medal in singles. He is typically considered by most to be one of the greatest tennis players ever. He is also said to be the best service returner in tennis. He has had a style all his own, and he has been a very charismatic player. He helped to revive the popularity of tennis in the 1990s. He was once married to actress Brooke Shields, but is now married to tennis champion Steffi Graf.

Andre Agassi is only one of six men to have earned a Career Grand Slam. He has also been a part of a winning Davis Cup Team as well as winning 17 Master's Series tournaments, which makes him the current record holder. He has won four Australian Opens, one French Open, one Wimbledon, and two U.S. Open Grand Slams. He has been rated as the seventh best male player for the period of 1965 until 2005 by Tennis Magazine. Agassi finally retired from professional tennis on September 3, 2006 following sciatica due to two bulging discs in his back, a spondylolisthesis, and a bone spur that has interfered with a nerve. Andre Agassi is also known for his charity work, as he is the founder of the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation, which has raised more than sixty million dollars for children at risk in Southern Nevada. The foundation has also opened the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy located in Las Vegas. This school is for at-risk children and is a K-12 charter school.

Andre Agassi was born in Las Vegas, Nevada to Emmanuel Mike Aghassian and Elizabeth Betty Agassi. Agassi's father is of Assyrian and Armenian descent, and once represented the country of Iran in boxing during two Olympic games. He later immigrated to the United States. Andre's mother, Betty, is a survivor of breast cancer. Agassi's father was a domineering dad and coach. Agassi has remarked that his father was not particularly interested in his son's education, and in fact believed that it was interfering with his tennis training. At the age of thirteen, Andre was sent to the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida. He was supposed to only stay for eight weeks, but Bollettieri called his father and said that he could play there for free due to Agassi's impressive talent. At the age of sixteen, Agassi became a professional. By the conclusion of his first year, Agassi already ranked World #91. During his career, Agassi earned over 30 million dollars in prize money. He also earned more than 25 million a year on endorsements alone.

On April 19, 1997, Andre Agassi married Brooke Shields, an actress. The couple later filed for divorce, and on April 9, 1999, they were officially divorced. Andre met Steffi Graf, an extraordinary female tennis player. They began dating and were married on October 22, 2001. Their son, Jaden Gil, was born four days after their wedding on October 26 of 2001. They also have a daughter named Jaz Elle, who was born on October 3, 2003. They currently live in the area of Las Vegas and have a few vacation homes. Andre Agassi has written his autobiography that was published in November of 2009. In his biography, "Open: An Autobiography," he admits to using methamphetamine in 1997 and testing positive for it. He has also admitted that his long hair that he was well known for was actually a wig or extensions. He claims that his loss of the 1990 French Open final was because he was concerned his hair piece was falling off, so he was trying to be careful with his movements.

Off of the tennis court, Andre Agassi is well known for his charity. In 1994, Andre began the Andre Agassi Charitable Association, which helps young people in Las Vegas, particularly those at high risk. Because of his charity work, he was given the ATP Arthur Ashe Humanitarian award in 1995 because of his efforts. Agassi's Boys and Girls Club works with 2,000 children throughout the year and has a great junior tennis team. It also has a basketball program as well as a mix of academics and athletics. In 2001, Agassi opened the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, which is a tuition free school that is for children who are at high risk living in the Las Vegas area. Amazingly enough, his school had a 2009 graduating class that had a 100% graduation rate and 100% college acceptance rate. He also works with Child Haven, a residential facility that helps children who have been neglected or abused. He donated enough money for a six-room classroom that is now called the Agassi Center for Education. Andre's foundation also gave $720,000 to help with the building of the Andre Agassi Cottage for Medically Fragile Children, which helps handicapped or developmentally delayed children as well as children who have been quarantined for infectious diseases.