Agassi to Retire After U.S. Open

The greatest serve-returner in the history of the game, and the man whose rivalry with Pete Sampras fueled tennis’ popularity in the 1990s, just announced that his next U.S. Open will be his last professional outing. The 36-year-old is one of only five players to have won every single Grand Slam tournament.

AP via USA Today:

Andre Agassi’s voice wavered and his eyes welled up. After years of dealing with injuries, after months of contemplation, he finally spoke the words he knew he had to, at the place he knew he had to.

Turning what was expected to be a routine pre-Wimbledon news conference into something significant, Agassi announced Saturday he will retire after this year’s U.S. Open, leaving tennis after two decades during which he collected a career Grand Slam and morphed from an “Image Is Everything” youngster to elder statesman.

“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 the past three months because of back trouble.

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