Andre Agassi
Academy of Achievement
Andre Agassi was prepared, literally from the cradle, to be a tennis champion. His father, an Iranian immigrant and former Olympic boxer, had him hit thousands of balls a day. By age five, Andre was practicing with pros; at 16, he was a pro himself. Freed from his rigorous upbringing, he rebelled, deliberately outraging tennis traditionalists with his unconventional hairstyles and fashions. At the same time, he was overwhelming the competition with his inexhaustible endurance, exceptional timing and uncanny hand-eye coordination. He won his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 1992, and more titles followed quickly, but after finishing 1995 as the game's top-rated player, and triumphing at the 1996 Olympics, his career faltered. A recurring wrist injury and the beginnings of a serious back condition began to affect his game, while the tabloid press harried him relentlessly. Rigorous conditioning and iron discipline led to a breathtaking comeback at the end of the decade, and Agassi s