Andre Kirk Agassi (/'??ndre? 'g?

si/; born April 29, 1970) is an American retired

professional tennis player and former World No. 1, who was one of the game's mos
t dominant players from the early 1990s to the mid-2000s.[2] Generally considere
d by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all
time,[3][4][5][6][7] Agassi had been called the best service returner in the his
tory of the game.[5][8][9][10] Described by the BBC upon his retirement as "perh
aps the biggest worldwide star in the sport's history",[7] Agassi compiled perfo
rmances that, along with his unorthodox apparel and attitude, saw him cited as o
ne of the most charismatic players in the history of the game. As a result, he i
s credited for helping to revive the popularity of tennis during the 1990s.[5][7
][11]
In singles tennis, Agassi is an eight-time Grand Slam champion and a 1996 Olympi
c gold medalist, as well as finishing runner-up in seven other Grand Slam tourna
ments. During the Open Era, Agassi is the first male player to win 4 Australian
Open titles and those were an Open Era record until Novak Djokovic won his 5th t
itle on 1 February 2015. Agassi is one of four male singles players to achieve t
he Career Grand Slam in the Open Era and one of seven in history,[12][13] the fi
rst of two to achieve the Career Golden Slam (Career Grand Slam and Olympic gold
medal), and the only man to win the Career Golden Slam and the ATP Tour World C
hampionships (won in 1990): a distinction dubbed as a "Career Super Slam" by Spo
rts Illustrated.[3]
Agassi was the first male player to win all four Grand Slam tournaments on three
different surfaces (hard, clay and grass), and the last American male to win th
e French Open, in 1999[14] and the Australian Open (2003).[15] He also won 17 AT
P Masters Series titles and was part of a winning Davis Cup team in 1990, 1992 a
nd 1995.[4] Agassi reached the World No. 1 ranking for the first time in 1995 bu
t was troubled by personal issues during the mid-to-late 1990s and sank to World
No. 141 in 1997, prompting many to believe that his career was over.[16] Agassi
returned to World No. 1 in 1999 and enjoyed the most successful run of his care
er over the next four years. During his 20-plus year tour career, Agassi was kno
wn by the nickname "The Punisher".[17][18][19][20]