Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2006 | 7:08 a.m.
Grand Slam titles
1986
Year turned pro
$31,110,975
Career prize money
868-274
Career singles record
60
Career singles titles
4
Australian open titles
21
Consecutive years at the U.S. Open
77-19
U.S. Open record
30-6
Davis Cup record
5
Age when Andre began practicing with pros such as Jimmy Connors
16
Age turned professional
26
Length of longest match winning streak
36
Age of retirement
72-10
Singles record in 1995, his best season
1995
Year he shaved his head
141
Lowest world ranking, 1997
14-20
Record vs. rival Pete Sampras
1
Doubles titles won (with Petr Korda at the 1993 Cincinnati Masters)
$25 million
Annual endorsement money earned
1:15 a.m.
Time his classic five-set quarterfinal with James Blake at the 2005 U.S. Open ended
350
Number of pounds Agassi can bench press
N-792AA
Call letters on the tail of Agassi's Lockheed jet, representing his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in July 1992
3
Number of video games bearing his likeness
$52.3 million
Money raised by Agassi's Grand Slam for Children concert
400
Number of children per day using his Las Vegas Boys & Girls Club
He was described as brash, arrogant, flamboyant and rebellious in the That Was Then part of his career. And humble, kind, caring and universally revered in the This Is Now. Andre Agassi wrote the final chapter of his illustrious tennis career Monday at the U.S. Open, losing his opening round match to Romanian Andrei Pavel. All summer, fellow players have tried to find the words to define the native Las Vegan's impact on the game he helped reinvent.
"Andre started out as the George Foreman of tennis - surly, difficult. Then he was transformed. Now, he's a teddy bear. He oozes happiness."
John McEnroe
"Andre's a great champion. He's great for the game. I admire that he's always done things his way despite what the establishment may have said how he should do it. Ran his own program. He's also a great humanitarian, and he continues to give back. That's a great example for all of us to give back in each and every way that we can."
Venus Williams
"He knows every doorman's name. 'Please' and 'thank yous' at the transportation area. Those things don't get reported on. You'd be surprised how many guys will take off a grip on the racquet, leave it in the locker room for the attendant to pick up. I bet my life that wouldn't happen with him. I think I learned a lot just by watching him go about his daily business. You can talk about all the tournaments he won, everybody knows about that, but I think to do him justice you'd probably have to look beyond that."
Andy Roddick
"He has transformed his persona from a rebellious figure to a true caretaker of the game and guiding light to his peers. His maturation as a player and person in a very public spotlight will be a feature movie at some point in time. Guaranteed."
Jim Courier
"He changed tennis. He made tennis a cool sport He had a great personality. He's the one that I wanted to be."
Andy Murray
"He's aggressive nonstop. That's his game. He's definitely not going to change it because of the opponent or anything. He always stays aggressive no matter how the opponent plays. That you have to admire."
Roger Federer
"He's a legend. He was top player (when he stopped) and then he came back. I think that's very difficult, very tough mentally. That's unbelievable. That's very, very difficult and just some players, some special players, can do that."
Rafael Nadal
"Agassi was the most talented player of my era - even more talented than Pete Sampras. Andre made tennis rock 'n' roll. He helped step up the sport, and so it became entertaining. He provided something that tennis needed. He and Steffi fit perfectly as a couple. I believe it might surprise people, but he's very introverted. He is not the kind of person who craves attention. Tennis will miss him."
Michael Stich
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