Andre Kirk Agassi – a tennis ace from America
Andre Kirk Agassi, the former top ranked Iranian-American tennis sensation was born on April 29, 1970 in the United States of America. The right-handed player has been reckoned by his opponents as well as analysts as one of the finest players of all times. Agassi has also been considered as the most outstanding service returner in the history of tennis.
As far as his single’s record is concerned, Agassi who is nicknamed as ‘The Punisher’ is the sole tennis ace who has accomplished a career golden slam. Along with Fred Perry, Rod Laver, Roger Federer as well as Don Budge, he ranks in the list of six players who won a career grand slam ever since the start of the Open Era. He succeeded in winning a total of eight grand slam championships in singles tournaments. Agassi also ranks as the joint fifth in grand slam championship wins in singles including a gold medal in Olympics singles.
Moreover, apart from his Olympic singles and Grand Slam trophies, he triumphed in seventeen ATP Master Series championships, a reputation that lasted for a period of four years. The ATP Tour World tournament was also won by this great player along with contribution in the team of Davis Cup that won in the year 1990 as well as 1992.
The 40-year-old Agassi is the son of Elizabeth Betty and Emmanuel Mike Aghassian. Agassi’s father Emmanuel, who was an Iranian national staged for his country in boxing back in the Olympic games of 1948 as well as 1952. Later on, his family shifted to America. On the other hand, Betty who is the mother Agassi survived breast cancer and lived to see his son progress in international tennis.
Mike Agassi was famous for his bossy style, seemingly keeping a hammer to the courts and smacking on the side fences in anger every time he fell down on courts. He at times also used to shout at the administration and was thus evacuated on a number of occasions as well.
Agassi took admission in the tennis academy of Florida at an age of just thirteen years. He was supposed to train for a period of just three months as his father was a poor man and couldn’t manage extra expenses. However, after examining Agassi’s game for ten minutes, Bollettieri asked his father to get back his check as he allowed him to practice for free in his academy, commenting that Agassi had a tremendous got gifted flair that he had not seen in any other youngster.
Playing his first international match at the age of sixteen, Agassi easily triumphed in a 6–4, 6–2 match set versus John Austin. Towards the end of 1986, Agassi was listed at 91 in world ranking. In 1987, Agassi achieved his first singles title in Itaparica at the Sul American Open championship and finished off the season listed twenty-five in world ranking.
Agassi all through his matches kept on improving his game and managed to succeed in six additional championships in the year 1988 namely Forest Hills WCT, Volvo International, U.S Men’s Clay Court Tournament, Livingston Open as well as Stuttgart Outdoor. As a result of his phenomenal tennis exhibit, the punisher towards the late December in 1988 exceeded US $ two million in professional prize money after contesting in a total of just forty three championships in the quickest time. Thus, Agassi finished off the year with number three in the world’s ranking.
With a passage of time Agassi with a high sense of anticipation and intelligent judgment of the game went on to win many titles to his name including the Canadian Cup, U.S Open, French Open, Wimbledon, Australian Open and thus jumped to the world number one position in 1995 for the first time ever in his career. Agassi also grabbed a gold medal in the men’s singles at Olympics games held in Atlanta, USA.
The punisher ended the year 1998 with five titles to his name and thus set his name in history to be a player who triumphed in all four Grand Slam Events in his career. Apart from a plethora of grand slam victories, Agassi also won the Masters Series event in Cincinnati, and was a member of the Davis Cup winning side. He has also been awarded on a number of occasions including the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year Award in 1992 as well as his rankings among the top twelve tennis players from 1965 to 2005 by the Tennis Magazine.
Agassi took retirement on September, 2008 however the man is going to be remembered for many years to come beyond any measure of speculation.
Tags: