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==Professional career== ===1986–1993: Breakthrough and the first major title=== Agassi turned professional at the age of 16 and competed in his first tournament at [[La Quinta, California]]. He won his first match against [[John Austin (tennis)|John Austin]], but then lost his second match to [[Mats Wilander]]. By the end of 1986, Agassi was ranked No. 91.<ref name="Tennis28">{{cite web |url=http://www.tennis28.com/rankings/history/agassi.html |title=Tennis28-Bio:Andre Agassi |access-date=June 12, 2009 |publisher=Tennis28 |archive-date=February 28, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090228080150/http://www.tennis28.com/rankings/history/agassi.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He won his first top-level singles title in 1987 at the [[ATP Itaparica|Sul American Open]] in [[Itaparica]]<ref name="greatath" /> and ended the year ranked No. 25.<ref name="greatath" /> He won six additional tournaments in 1988 (Memphis, [[1988 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships|U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships]], [[World Championship Tennis#WCT 1988|Forest Hills WCT]], Stuttgart Outdoor, [[1988 Volvo International|Volvo International]] and [[1988 Livingston Open|Livingston Open]]),<ref name="greatath" /> and, by December of that year, he had surpassed US$1 million in career prize money after playing in just 43 tournaments—the fastest anyone in history had reached that level.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1152468/bio|title=Andre Agassi|publisher=IMDb|access-date=June 29, 2018|archive-date=November 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191108130305/https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1152468/bio|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Andre Agassi |url=https://www.athletespeakers.com/speaker/andre-agassi |access-date=2022-12-14 |website=Celebrity Speakers For Speaking Engagements {{!}} AthleteSpeakers |language=en |archive-date=July 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240713023903/https://www.athletespeakers.com/speaker/andre-agassi |url-status=live }}</ref> During 1988, he also set the open-era record for most consecutive victories by a male teenager (a record that stood for 17 years until [[Rafael Nadal]] broke it in 2005).<ref>{{cite news |title=Teen Nadal gives Spain reign over French Open |date=June 5, 2006 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/tennis/french/2005-06-05-day-14_x.htm |agency=Associated Press (USA Today) |access-date=April 6, 2010 |archive-date=January 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110122234602/http://www.usatoday.com/sports/tennis/french/2005-06-05-day-14_x.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> His year-end ranking was No. 3, behind second-ranked [[Ivan Lendl]] and top-ranked [[Mats Wilander]]. Both the [[Association of Tennis Professionals]] and ''Tennis'' magazine named Agassi the Most Improved Player of the Year for 1988.<ref name="greatath" /> In addition to not playing the Australian Open (which later became his best Grand Slam event) for the first eight years of his career, Agassi chose not to play at [[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon]] from 1988 through 1990 (although he first played there in 1987, only to lose in the first round to [[Henri Leconte]]) and publicly stated that he did not wish to play there because of the event's traditionalism, particularly its "predominantly white" dress code to which players at the event are required to conform.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 10, 2022 |title=Agassi hated Wimbledon dress code so much he boycotted it for three years |url=https://talksport.com/sport/tennis/1147060/andre-agassi-boycott-wimbledon-dress-code-white/ |access-date=2022-12-14 |website=talkSPORT |language=en-US |archive-date=July 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240713023909/https://talksport.com/sport/1147060/andre-agassi-boycott-wimbledon-dress-code-white/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=June 30, 2017 |title=Against the all-white rule at Wimbledon |url=https://lifestyle.livemint.com//news/talking-point/against-the-all-white-rule-at-wimbledon-111646993830455.html |access-date=2022-12-14 |website=Mintlounge |language=en |archive-date=December 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221214185145/https://lifestyle.livemint.com//news/talking-point/against-the-all-white-rule-at-wimbledon-111646993830455.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Strong performances on the tour meant that Agassi was quickly tipped as a future Grand Slam champion. While still a teenager, he reached the semi-finals of both the French Open and the [[US Open (tennis)|US Open]] in 1988 and made the US Open semi-finals in 1989. He began the 1990s with a series of near-misses. He reached his first Grand Slam final in 1990 at the French Open, where he was favored before losing in four sets to [[Andrés Gómez]], which he later attributed in his book to worrying about his wig falling off during the match.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.essentiallysports.com/andre-agassi-says-he-lost-a-grand-slam-final-because-of-his-wig-tennis-news/ |title=Andre Agassi Says He Lost A Grand Slam Final Because Of His Wig |work=Essentially Sports |date=April 15, 2020 |access-date=June 27, 2021 |archive-date=April 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424031302/https://www.essentiallysports.com/andre-agassi-says-he-lost-a-grand-slam-final-because-of-his-wig-tennis-news/ |url-status=live }}</ref> He reached his second Grand Slam final of the year at the US Open, defeating defending champion [[Boris Becker]] in the semi-finals. His opponent in the final was [[Pete Sampras]]; a year earlier, Agassi had crushed Sampras, after which time he told his coach that he felt bad for Sampras because he was never going to make it as a pro. Agassi lost the US Open final to Sampras in three sets.<ref name="greatath" /> The [[Agassi-Sampras rivalry]] became the biggest one in tennis over the rest of the decade. Agassi ended 1990 on a high note as he helped the United States win its first [[Davis Cup]] in 8 years on home soil against Australia (3–2) and won his only [[Tennis Masters Cup]], beating reigning Wimbledon champion [[Stefan Edberg]] in the final. In 1991, Agassi reached his second consecutive French Open final, where he faced fellow Bollettieri Academy alumnus [[Jim Courier]]. Courier emerged the victor in a five-set final. The Las Vegan was a set and 3–1 up when came the rain. The rain delay proved to be a confidence builder for Courier. Agassi decided to play at Wimbledon in 1991, leading to weeks of speculation in the media about the clothes he would wear. He eventually emerged for the first round in a completely white outfit.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1991/06/28/agassi-makes-a-big-splash-in-white-on-centre-court/ |title=Agassi makes a big splash in white on Centre Court |date=June 28, 1991 |newspaper=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |access-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-date=July 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713172615/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1991-06-28/sports/1991179074_1_wimbledon-agassi-centre-court |url-status=live }}</ref> He reached the quarterfinals on that occasion, losing in five sets to [[David Wheaton]]. Agassi's Grand Slam tournament breakthrough came at Wimbledon, not at the French Open or the US Open, where he had previously enjoyed success. In 1992, he defeated [[Goran Ivanišević]] in a five-set final.<ref name="greatath" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Finn |first=Robin |date=July 6, 1992 |title=On the Grass at Wimbledon, Agassi Finally Hits Pay Dirt |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/07/06/sports/tennis-on-the-grass-at-wimbledon-agassi-finally-hits-pay-dirt.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=February 5, 2017 |archive-date=January 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180114185454/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/07/06/sports/tennis-on-the-grass-at-wimbledon-agassi-finally-hits-pay-dirt.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Along the way, Agassi overcame two former Wimbledon champions: [[Boris Becker]] and [[John McEnroe]]. No other baseliner would triumph at Wimbledon until [[Lleyton Hewitt]] ten years later. Agassi was named the [[BBC Sports Personality of the Year Overseas Personality|BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year]] in 1992. Agassi once again played on the United States' [[Davis Cup]] winning team in 1992. It was their second Davis cup title in three years. Agassi famously played the game wearing [[Oakley, Inc.|Oakley]] brand sunglasses, and a photo of him from the day appeared on the cover of [[Tennis (magazine)|''Tennis'' magazine]]. In his memoir, he wrote that he was covering up bloodshot eyes from a [[hangover]] and claimed that the founder of Oakley, [[Jim Jannard]], had sent him a [[Dodge Viper]] to thank him for the inadvertent publicity.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |last=Chrisman-Campbell |first=Kimberly |title=Worn on This Day: the Clothes That Made History |year=2019 |publisher=Running Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t4WLDwAAQBAJ&q=agassi |isbn=978-0-7624-9357-9 |location=Philadelphia |page=30 |oclc=1089571878 |url-access=subscription |access-date=June 21, 2022 |archive-date=July 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240713022941/https://books.google.com/books?id=t4WLDwAAQBAJ&q=agassi#v=snippet&q=agassi&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1993, Agassi won the only doubles title of his career, at the [[Cincinnati Masters]], partnered with [[Petr Korda]]. He missed much of the early part of that year due to injuries. Although he made the quarterfinals in his Wimbledon title defense, he lost to eventual champion and No. 1 Pete Sampras in five sets. Agassi lost in the first round at the US Open to [[Thomas Enqvist]] and required wrist surgery late in the year. ===1994–1997: Rise to the top, Olympic Gold and the fall=== With new coach [[Brad Gilbert]] on board, Agassi began to employ more of a tactical, consistent approach, which fueled his resurgence. He started slowly in 1994, losing in the first week at the French Open and Wimbledon, although he did receive a much-needed confidence boost after defeating [[Mark Petchey]] at the [[Miami Open (tennis)|Miami Open]] in March. Nevertheless, he emerged during the hard-court season, winning the [[Canada Masters|Canadian Open]]. His comeback culminated at the [[1994 US Open (tennis)|1994 US Open]] with a five-set fourth-round victory against [[Michael Chang]]. He then became the first man to capture the US Open as an [[Seed (tennis)|unseeded]] player, beating [[Michael Stich]] in the final.<ref name="greatath" /> Along the way, he beat 5 seeded players. In 1995, Agassi shaved his balding head, breaking with his old "image is everything" style. He competed in the [[1995 Australian Open]] (his first appearance at the event) and won, beating defending champion Sampras in a four-set final.<ref name="greatath" /> Agassi and Sampras met in five tournament finals in 1995, all on [[hardcourt]], with Agassi winning three. Agassi won three Masters Series events in 1995 ([[Cincinnati Masters|Cincinnati]], [[Miami Masters|Key Biscayne]], and the Canadian Open) and seven titles total.<ref name="greatath" /> He compiled a career-best 26-match winning streak during the summer hard-court circuit, with the last victory being in an intense late-night four-set semi-final of the [[1995 US Open (tennis)|US Open]] against [[Boris Becker]]. The streak ended the next day when Agassi lost the final to Sampras. Agassi admitted this loss, which gave Sampras a 9–8 lead in their head-to-head meetings, took two years for him to get over mentally.<ref name="tennis-buzz1995">{{cite web |url=https://tennis-buzz.com/1995-us-open-pete-sampras-defeats-andre-agassi/ |title=1995 US Open: Pete Sampras defeats Andre Agassi |publisher=Tennis Buzz |date=August 31, 2015 |accessdate=2022-07-19 |archive-date=August 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220818223454/http://tennis-buzz.com/1995-us-open-pete-sampras-defeats-andre-agassi/ |url-status=usurped }}</ref> Agassi reached the [[List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players|world No. 1]] ranking for the first time in April 1995. He held that ranking until November, for a total of 30 weeks. Agassi skipped most of the fall indoor season which allowed Sampras to surpass him and finish ranked No. 1 at the year-end ranking. In terms of win–loss record, 1995 was Agassi's best year. He won 73 and lost 9 matches, and was also once again a key player on the United States' [[Davis Cup]] winning team—the third and final Davis Cup title of his career. 1996 was a less successful year for Agassi, as he failed to reach any Grand Slam final. He suffered two early-round losses to [[Chris Woodruff]] and [[Doug Flach]] at the French Open and Wimbledon, respectively, and lost to Chang in straight sets in the Australian and US Open semi-finals. At the time, Agassi blamed the Australian Open loss on the windy conditions, but later said in his biography that he had lost the match on purpose, as he did not want to play Boris Becker, whom he would have faced in that final. The high point for Agassi was winning the men's singles gold medal at the [[1996 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]] in [[Atlanta]], beating [[Sergi Bruguera]] of Spain in the final.<ref name="greatath" /> Agassi also successfully defended his singles titles in Cincinnati and Key Biscayne. 1997 was the low point of Agassi's career. His wrist injury resurfaced, and he played only 24 matches during the year. Some years later he confessed that he used [[methamphetamine|crystal methamphetamine]] during that time, allegedly on the urging of a friend.<ref name="sports.espn.go.com">{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=4600027 |title=Andre Agassi book says he used crystal meth |work=[[ESPN]] |date=October 27, 2009 |access-date=January 27, 2011 |archive-date=September 25, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130925160007/http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=4600027 |url-status=live }}</ref> He failed an ATP drug test, but wrote a letter claiming the same friend had spiked a drink. The ATP dropped the failed drug test as a warning. In his autobiography, Agassi admitted that the letter was a lie.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/8329193.stm |work=BBC News |title=Agassi admits use of crystal meth |date=October 28, 2009 |access-date=March 30, 2010 |archive-date=July 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240713022946/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/8329193.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> He quit the drug soon after. At this time Agassi was also in a failing marriage with actress, model, and socialite [[Brooke Shields]] and had lost interest in the game.<ref>Andre Agassi interview. ''[[The Ellen DeGeneres Show]]''. November 19, 2009.</ref> He won no top-level titles, and his ranking sank to No. 141 on November 10, 1997, prompting many to believe that his run as one of the sport's premier competitors was over and he would never again win any significant tournaments.<ref name="greatath" /> ===1998–2003: Return to glory and Career Super Slam=== [[File:Andre Agassi 1999.jpg|thumb|upright=.7|Agassi in 1999]] In 1998, Agassi began a rigorous conditioning program and worked his way back up the rankings by playing in Challenger Series tournaments, a circuit for pro players ranked outside the world's top 50. After returning to top physical and mental shape, Agassi recorded the most successful period of his tennis career and also played classic matches in that period against [[Pete Sampras]] and [[Patrick Rafter]]. In 1998, Agassi won five titles and leapt from No. 110 to No. 6, the highest jump into the top 10 made by any player during a calendar year.<ref name="atpbio">{{cite web |url=https://www.atptour.com/en/players/andre-agassi/a092/overview |title=Andre Agassi player profile |website=Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) |access-date=April 13, 2021 |archive-date=April 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411005858/https://www.atptour.com/en/players/andre-agassi/a092/overview |url-status=live }}</ref> At Wimbledon, he had an early loss in the second round to [[Tommy Haas]]. He won five titles in ten finals and was runner-up at the [[Miami Masters|Masters Series tournament in Key Biscayne]], losing to [[Marcelo Ríos]], who became No. 1 as a result. At the year end he was awarded the ATP Most Improved Player of the Year for the second time in his career (the first being 10 years earlier in 1988). Agassi entered the history books in 1999 when he came back from two sets to love down to beat [[Andrei Medvedev (tennis)|Andrei Medvedev]] in a five-set French Open final, becoming, at the time, only the fifth male player (joining [[Rod Laver]], [[Fred Perry]], [[Roy Emerson]] and [[Don Budge]]—these have since been joined by [[Roger Federer]], [[Rafael Nadal]], and [[Novak Djokovic]]) to win all four Grand Slam singles titles during his career. Only Laver, Agassi, Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have achieved this feat during the [[Open Era]]. This win also made him the first (of only four, the next being Federer, Nadal and Djokovic respectively) male player in history to have won all four Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces (clay, grass and hard courts). Agassi also became the first male player to win the [[Career Super Slam]], consisting of all four Grand Slam tournaments plus an Olympic gold medal in singles and a [[ATP World Tour Finals|Year-end championship]].<ref name="SI" /> Agassi followed his 1999 French Open victory by reaching the Wimbledon final, where he lost to Sampras in straight sets.<ref name="greatath" /> He rebounded from his Wimbledon defeat by winning the [[1999 US Open (tennis)|US Open]], beating [[Todd Martin]] in five sets (rallying from a two sets to one deficit) in the final. Overall during the year Agassi won 5 titles including two majors and the ATP Masters Series in Paris, where he beat [[Marat Safin]]. Agassi ended 1999 as the No. 1, ending Sampras's record of six consecutive year-ending top rankings (1993–98).<ref name="greatath" /> This was the only time Agassi ended the year at No. 1. Agassi was runner-up to Sampras at the year-end [[1999 Tennis Masters Cup|Tennis Masters Cup]] losing 1–6, 5–7, 4–6 despite beating Sampras in the round-robin 6–2, 6–2.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tennismajors.com/our-features/november-28-1999-the-day-pete-sampras-won-the-atp-finals-for-the-fifth-time-310165.html |title=November 28, 1999: The day Pete Sampras won the ATP Finals for the fifth time |website=Tennis Majors |last=Sokolowski |first=Alexandre |date=November 28, 2020 |access-date=June 27, 2021 |archive-date=August 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210805145940/https://www.tennismajors.com/our-features/november-28-1999-the-day-pete-sampras-won-the-atp-finals-for-the-fifth-time-310165.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He began the next year 2000 by capturing his second Australian Open title, beating Sampras in a five-set semi-final and [[Yevgeny Kafelnikov]] in a four-set final.<ref name="greatath" /> He was the first male player to have reached four consecutive Grand Slam finals since [[Rod Laver]] achieved the Grand Slam in 1969.{{#tag:ref|[[Roger Federer]] has since surpassed this feat, reaching ten consecutive Grand Slam finals from 2005 to 2007.|group=lower-alpha}} At the time, Agassi was also only the fourth player since Laver to be the reigning champion of three of four Grand Slam events, missing only the Wimbledon title.{{#tag:ref|[[Pete Sampras]] held the 1993 Wimbledon, [[1993 US Open (tennis)|1993 US Open]] and [[1994 Australian Open]] titles simultaneously. [[Jimmy Connors]] (1974), [[Roger Federer]] (2004, 2006 and 2007) and [[Novak Djokovic]] (2011) won those three majors in the same year, although Connors' Grand Slam titles were all played on grass courts. [[Mats Wilander]] won all but Wimbledon in 1988 during his similar rise to the year-end No. 1. [[Rafael Nadal]] won the French Open and Wimbledon "Channel Slam" (2008) and 2009 Australian Open, before replicating the Channel Slam alongside winning the US Open in 2010.|group=lower-alpha}}. 2000 also saw Agassi reach the semi-finals at Wimbledon, where he lost in five sets to Rafter in a match considered by many to be one of the best ever at Wimbledon.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/wimbledon_history/3742067.stm |title=Classic Matches: Rafter v Agassi |date=May 31, 2004 |access-date=October 25, 2007 |work=BBC Sport |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091104221251/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/wimbledon_history/3742067.stm |archive-date=November 4, 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref> At the inaugural [[2000 Tennis Masters Cup|Tennis Masters Cup]] in Lisbon, Agassi reached the final after defeating world No. 1 Marat Safin in the semi-finals to end the Russian's hopes of becoming the youngest year-end No. 1 in the history of tennis. Agassi then lost to [[Gustavo Kuerten]] in the final, allowing Kuerten to be crowned year-end No. 1.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tennisworldusa.org/tennis/news/Blast_From_the_Past/49663/dec-3-2000-gustavo-kuerten-beats-andre-agassi-to-lift-masters-cup-title/ |title=Dec. 3, 2000: Gustavo Kuerten beats Andre Agassi to lift Masters Cup title |work=Tennis World |last=Ilic |first=Jovica |date=December 4, 2017 |access-date=June 27, 2021 |archive-date=June 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629144111/https://www.tennisworldusa.org/tennis/news/Blast_From_the_Past/49663/dec-3-2000-gustavo-kuerten-beats-andre-agassi-to-lift-masters-cup-title/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Agassi opened 2001 by successfully defending his Australian Open title with a straight-sets final win over [[Arnaud Clément]].<ref name="greatath" /> En route, he beat a cramping Rafter in five sets in front of a sell-out crowd in what turned out to be the Aussie's last Australian Open. At Wimbledon, they met again in the semi-finals, where Agassi lost another close match to Rafter, 8–6 in the fifth set. In the quarterfinals at the US Open, Agassi lost a 3-hour, 33 minute epic match<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/2001/us_open/news/2001/09/05/sampras_agassi |title=Believe the hype |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=September 6, 2001 |access-date=June 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604013156/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/2001/us_open/news/2001/09/05/sampras_agassi |archive-date=June 4, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> with Sampras, 7–6, 6–7, 6–7, 6–7,<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/2001/us_open/news/2001/09/05/agassi_sidebar_ap |title=Unbreakable |date=September 6, 2001 |magazine=Sports Illustrated |access-date=January 26, 2011 |archive-date=February 17, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217102311/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/2001/us_open/news/2001/09/05/agassi_sidebar_ap/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> with no breaks of serve during the 52-game match. Despite the setback, Agassi finished 2001 ranked No. 3, becoming the only male tennis player to finish a year ranked in the top 3 in three different decades.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sportsline.com/tennis/players/playerpage/201490/2006 |title=SportsLine:Andre Agassi |year=2006 |publisher=Sportsline |access-date=January 26, 2011 |archive-date=December 24, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071224194727/http://www.sportsline.com/tennis/players/playerpage/201490/2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="atpbio" /> 2002 opened with disappointment for Agassi, as injury forced him to skip the Australian Open, where he was a two-time defending champion.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Guardian Staff |date=January 14, 2002 |title=Injured Agassi and Williams forced out |url=http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2002/jan/14/australianopen2002.australianopen2 |access-date=2022-12-14 |website=the Guardian |language=en |archive-date=July 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240713022945/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2002/jan/14/australianopen2002.australianopen2 |url-status=live }}</ref> Agassi recovered from the injury and later that year defended his [[Key Biscayne]] title beating then rising Roger Federer in a four-set final. At the US Open, Agassi overcame No.1 ranked and defending champion [[Lleyton Hewitt]] in the semi-finals.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/articles/2020-06-08/full_match_video_coco_vandeweghe_vs_alison_riske_2017_us_open_womens_singles_first_round.html|title=Full Match Video: CoCo Vandeweghe vs. Alison Riske, 2017 US Open women's singles first round|website=Usopen.org|access-date=July 19, 2022|archive-date=July 12, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220712195627/https://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/articles/2020-06-08/full_match_video_coco_vandeweghe_vs_alison_riske_2017_us_open_womens_singles_first_round.html|url-status=live}} {{failed verification|date=July 2022}}</ref> This led to what turned out to be the last duel between Agassi and Sampras in final of the US Open, which Sampras won in four sets and left Sampras with a 20–14 edge in their 34 career meetings. The match was the last of Sampras's career. Agassi's US Open finish, along with his Masters Series victories in Key Biscayne, [[Rome Masters|Rome]] and [[Madrid Open (tennis)|Madrid]], helped him finish 2002 as the oldest year-end No. 2 at 32 years and 8 months.<ref name="atpbio" /> In 2003, Agassi won the eighth (and final) Grand Slam title of his career at the Australian Open, where he beat [[Rainer Schüttler]] in straight sets in the final.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ESPN.com – Australian Open 2003 – Agassi earns eighth Grand Slam title |url=https://www.espn.com/tennis/aus03/s/2003/0125/1499001.html |access-date=2022-12-14 |website=www.espn.com |archive-date=December 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221214185135/https://www.espn.com/tennis/aus03/s/2003/0125/1499001.html |url-status=live }}</ref> On April 28, 2003, he recaptured the No. 1 ranking to become the oldest top-ranked male player since the ATP rankings began at 33 years and 13 days. The record was later surpassed by [[Roger Federer]] in 2018. He had held the No. 1 ranking for two weeks, when [[Lleyton Hewitt]] took it back on May 12, 2003. Agassi then recaptured the No. 1 ranking once again on June 16, 2003, which he held for 12 weeks until September 7, 2003. There he managed to reach the US Open semi-finals, where he lost to [[Juan Carlos Ferrero]], surrendering his No. 1 ranking to him. During his career, Agassi held the ranking for a total of 101 weeks. Agassi's ranking slipped when injuries forced him to withdraw from a number of events. At the year-end Tennis Masters Cup, Agassi lost in the final to Federer, his third time to finish as runner-up in the event after losses in 1999 and 2000, and finished the year ranked No. 4.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/946191-atp-world-tour-finals-counting-down-the-all-time-top-ten-champions |title=ATP World Tour Finals: Counting Down the All-Time Top 10 Champions |work=Bleacher Report |last=Allen |first=Ja |date=November 18, 2011 |access-date=June 27, 2021 |archive-date=February 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220211225200/https://bleacherreport.com/articles/946191-atp-world-tour-finals-counting-down-the-all-time-top-ten-champions |url-status=live }}</ref> At age 33, he had been one of the oldest players to rank in the top 5 since Connors, at age 35, was No. 4 in 1987.<ref name="atpbio" /> ===2004–2006: Final years=== [[file:Andre Agassi Indian Wells 2006.jpg|thumb|upright=.7|Agassi in 2006]] In 2004, Agassi began the year with a five-set loss in the semi-finals of the Australian Open to [[Marat Safin]]; the loss ended Agassi's 26-match winning streak at the event. He won the [[Cincinnati Masters|Masters series event in Cincinnati]] to bring his career total to 59 top-level singles titles and a record 17 ATP Masters Series titles, having already won seven of the nine ATP Masters tournament—all except the tournaments in [[Monte Carlo Masters|Monte Carlo]] and [[Hamburg Masters|Hamburg]]. At 34, he became the second-oldest singles champion in Cincinnati tournament history (the tournament began in 1899), tied with Roger Federer and surpassed only by [[Ken Rosewall]], who won the title in 1970 at age 35. He finished the year ranked No. 8, one of the oldest players to finish in the top 10 since the 36-year-old Connors was No. 7 in 1988.<ref name="atpbio" /> At the time, Agassi also became the sixth male player during the [[Tennis open era|open era]] to reach 800 career wins with his first-round victory over [[Alex Bogomolov]] in [[Countrywide Classic]] in Los Angeles. Agassi's 2005 began with a quarterfinal loss to Federer at the Australian Open. Agassi had several other deep runs at tournaments, but had to withdraw from several events due to injury. He lost to [[Jarkko Nieminen]] in the first round of the French Open. He won his fourth title in Los Angeles and reached the final of the [[Canada Masters|Rogers Cup]], before falling to No. 2 [[Rafael Nadal]]. Agassi's 2005 was defined by an improbable run to the US Open final. After beating [[Răzvan Sabău]] and [[Ivo Karlović]] in straight sets and [[Tomáš Berdych]] in four sets, Agassi won three consecutive five-set matches to advance to the final. The most notable of these matches was his quarterfinal victory over [[James Blake (tennis)|James Blake]], where he rallied from two sets down to win in the fifth set tie-breaker. His other five-set victories were over [[Xavier Malisse]] in the fourth round and [[Robby Ginepri]] in the semi-finals. In the final, Agassi faced Federer, who was seeking his second consecutive US Open title and his sixth Grand Slam title in two years. Federer defeated Agassi in four sets. Agassi finished 2005 ranked No. 7, his 16th time in the year-end top-10 rankings, which tied Connors for the most times ranked in the top 10 at year's end. Agassi had a poor start to 2006, as he was still recovering from an ankle injury and also suffering from back and leg pain and lack of match play. Agassi withdrew from the Australian Open because of the ankle injury, and his back injury and other pains forced him to withdraw from several other events, eventually skipping the entire clay-court season including the French Open. This caused his ranking to drop out of the top 10 for the last time. Agassi returned for the grass-court season, playing a tune-up, and then [[2006 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|Wimbledon]]. He was defeated in the third round by world No. 2 (and eventual runner-up) [[Rafael Nadal]]. Against conventions, Agassi, the losing player, was interviewed on court after the match.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13653101 |title=Upsetting day: Agassi, then Roddick ousted |date=June 1, 2006 |access-date=October 27, 2007 |agency=Associated Press |publisher=NBC Sports |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071105214848/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13653101 |archive-date=November 5, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> At Wimbledon, Agassi announced his plans to retire following the US Open. Agassi played only two events during the summer hard-court season with his best result being a quarterfinal loss at the [[Countrywide Classic]] in Los Angeles to [[Fernando González]] of Chile, which resulted in him being unseeded at the US Open. Agassi had a short, but dramatic, run in his final US Open. Because of extreme back pain, Agassi was forced to receive anti-inflammatory injections after every match. After a four-set win against [[Andrei Pavel]], Agassi faced eighth-seeded [[Marcos Baghdatis]] in the second round who had earlier advanced to the [[2006 Australian Open]] final and Wimbledon semi-finals. Agassi won in five sets as the younger Baghdatis succumbed to muscle cramping in the final set.<ref>{{Cite news |agency=Associated Press |date=August 31, 2006 |title=Agassi Advances at U.S. Open |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/31/sports/tennis/01Agassi_wire.html |access-date=2023-05-18 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=July 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240713023040/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/31/sports/tennis/01Agassi_wire.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In his last match, Agassi fell to 112th-ranked big-serving [[Benjamin Becker]] of Germany in four sets. Agassi received a four-minute standing ovation from the crowd after the match and delivered a retirement speech.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Walker |first=Ben |publisher=The Associated Press |title=Closing it out |url=https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2006/09/04/closing-it-out/28498969007/ |access-date=October 10, 2022 |website=Sarasota Herald-Tribune |language=en-US |archive-date=October 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221010162132/https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2006/09/04/closing-it-out/28498969007/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
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