Autograph Corner: Andre Agassi

Andre Agassi stepped out of a white Lamborghini, lowered his sunglasses and said “Image is everything.” That 1989 Canon EOS Rebel camera ad launched Andre Agassi from tennis star to global superstar. Ironically, the iconic phrase values flash over substance which is inconsistent with Agassi’s intense work ethic which propelled him to become one of the greatest tennis players in history. He embraced the process and the challenges over the course of his Hall of Fame tennis career and developed into one of the hardest working players and most analytical and thoughtful tennis minds ever.

Agassi won 8 major singles titles and the career grand slam, all 4 major singles titles, and the career golden slam by winning the Olympic Gold medal in men’s singles. He also owns the career super slam with his win in the ATP Tour Finals in 1999.

Legendary tennis player, Steffi Graf, Agassi’s wife, owner of 22 major women's singles titles, won the golden slam in 1988. The trophy case in their home must take up an entire wing. Agassi was ranked as high as #1 in 1995 and again in 1999. He helped the U.S. to Davis Cup wins in 1992, 1995 and 1999.

In his candid autobiography, Open, Agassi shared his highs and lows including returning to play at the Challenger level to regain his form and restore his ranking. Amongst his post tennis endeavors, Agassi, is a motivational speaker. He inspired USTA members at the 2024 Annual Meeting in Orlando. Agassi stressed the importance of hard work and perseverance as the most important tools of a tennis player versus sheer athletic ability.

Agassi is sought after by many professional players to consult from his home base in Las Vegas. Agassi remains an important voice in the tennis world. He played an exhibition match at the 2024 U.S. Open during Fan Week and is set to become the captain of the World Team at the 2025 Laver Cup in San Fransisco. He is passionate when it comes to paying it forward as well. The Andre Agassi Foundation for Education established in 1994 has raised $180 million dollars to further its mission of providing educational opportunities and resources to an otherwise underserved population. Andre Agassi, Hall of Fame great on and off the tennis court.

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Adam Ross is a contributing writer for Florida Tennis. He is a volunteer for the USTA Florida and the Vice-President of the Tennis Collectors of America/TCA. He welcomes your questions and comments at robinadam@comcast.net. Top photo by Shinya Suzuki on Flickr (Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0). Photos in the article are courtesy of the Adam Ross collection.