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Andre Agassi
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===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" />
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