Agassi to retire after U.S. Open
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The 36-year-old American announced his plans Saturday during a news conference at the All England Club, where Wimbledon starts Monday and he is seeded 25th.
?It?s been a lot of sacrifices the last few months, trying to get myself right to come back here and enjoy this tournament for the last time,? said Agassi, who has played only one match during the past three months because of back trouble.
?It?s been a long road this year for me, and for a lot of reasons. It?s great to be here. This Wimbledon will be my last, and the U.S. Open will be my last tournament.?
He intends to play in four hard-court events in the United States between Wimbledon and the Open, in what will amount to a farewell tour for one of the most popular and successful tennis players in history.
?There?s still a lot of fight left in me from here through the Open,? he said.
Agassi has won eight major singles titles ? one each at Wimbledon and the French Open, two at the U.S. Open and four at the Australian Open ? and is one of only five men to have collected at least one championship at each of the Grand Slam tournaments.
All this from someone who was, infamously, more about style than substance at the start of his career, drawing attention for his denim shorts, Day-Glo headband, long hair and earring. And it was all encapsulated by his ?Image Is Everything? ad campaign for a camera company. There also was plenty of interest in his two-year marriage to actress Brooke Shields and his friendship with Barbra Streisand.
At one point, he went through a series of injuries and a dry spell so dismal that he dropped out of the top 100 in the rankings and resorted to playing on the minor league Challenger tour.
Then came his remarkable renaissance, built in part with the most rigorous of training regimens. In 1998, he made the biggest one-year jump into the top 10 in the history of the ATP Tour by moving up 122 spots to No. 6. The next year, he won the French Open to complete his career Slam.
?The day I won in Paris was the day I knew I would never have another regret the rest of my career,? he said Saturday.
Agassi married former tennis star Steffi Graf in 2001, and they have two children.
Ranked No. 1 as recently as 2003, the oldest man to hold the top spot, he made a stirring run to the U.S. Open final last year, the seventh time he was the runner-up at a Grand Slam.