The highs and lows of tennis legend Andre Agassi

A tennis sensation

A tennis sensation, Ups and downs, Heavy training schedule, A real nugget, 1992: first Grand Slam, First wrist problem, A more than successful comeback, Olympic title in Atlanta, Tumble in the rankings, Resurgence of his wrist injury, Illegal substances, Rock bottom, The return of a champion, An incredible career

Andre Agassi was more than a tennis player – he was a cultural phenomenon. This might be something lost on younger tennis fans, especially in the wake of modern giants such as Federer, Djokovic and Nadal. But for much of the 90s, Agassi was the center of the tennis world.

Ups and downs

A tennis sensation, Ups and downs, Heavy training schedule, A real nugget, 1992: first Grand Slam, First wrist problem, A more than successful comeback, Olympic title in Atlanta, Tumble in the rankings, Resurgence of his wrist injury, Illegal substances, Rock bottom, The return of a champion, An incredible career

But it's not a simple task getting to the top of the tennis world – and Agassi more than paid the price for his success. Let's take a look back at his journey.

Heavy training schedule

A tennis sensation, Ups and downs, Heavy training schedule, A real nugget, 1992: first Grand Slam, First wrist problem, A more than successful comeback, Olympic title in Atlanta, Tumble in the rankings, Resurgence of his wrist injury, Illegal substances, Rock bottom, The return of a champion, An incredible career

His early success is in large part due to his heavy training regimen, implemented by his father from a very young age. While most children were playing with friends after school, Agassi was expected to hit more than 5,000 balls during rigorous training sessions, as Sportskeeda reported.

A real nugget

A tennis sensation, Ups and downs, Heavy training schedule, A real nugget, 1992: first Grand Slam, First wrist problem, A more than successful comeback, Olympic title in Atlanta, Tumble in the rankings, Resurgence of his wrist injury, Illegal substances, Rock bottom, The return of a champion, An incredible career

Winning his first title at 17, the young American exploded onto the scene at the age of 18, when he reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros and moved into the world's top 3.

1992: first Grand Slam

A tennis sensation, Ups and downs, Heavy training schedule, A real nugget, 1992: first Grand Slam, First wrist problem, A more than successful comeback, Olympic title in Atlanta, Tumble in the rankings, Resurgence of his wrist injury, Illegal substances, Rock bottom, The return of a champion, An incredible career

The American tennis star enjoyed a string of good results and Grand Slam finals, but did not win a major until 1992, when he claimed his first Wimbledon title.

First wrist problem

A tennis sensation, Ups and downs, Heavy training schedule, A real nugget, 1992: first Grand Slam, First wrist problem, A more than successful comeback, Olympic title in Atlanta, Tumble in the rankings, Resurgence of his wrist injury, Illegal substances, Rock bottom, The return of a champion, An incredible career

In 1993, Agassi experienced the first major setback in his career when he was forced to sit out a large part of the season because of chronic tendonitis in his wrist. He underwent surgery at the end of the year, as reported at the time by Sports Illustrated.

A more than successful comeback

A tennis sensation, Ups and downs, Heavy training schedule, A real nugget, 1992: first Grand Slam, First wrist problem, A more than successful comeback, Olympic title in Atlanta, Tumble in the rankings, Resurgence of his wrist injury, Illegal substances, Rock bottom, The return of a champion, An incredible career

He made his comeback in 1994 and quickly returned to his highest level, becoming number 2 in the world largely thanks to his first title at the US Open, in front of his home crowd.

Olympic title in Atlanta

A tennis sensation, Ups and downs, Heavy training schedule, A real nugget, 1992: first Grand Slam, First wrist problem, A more than successful comeback, Olympic title in Atlanta, Tumble in the rankings, Resurgence of his wrist injury, Illegal substances, Rock bottom, The return of a champion, An incredible career

His wrist no longer seemed to be an issue as Agassi went on to win a string of titles. He claimed the Australian Open and Davis Cup in 1995 and a gold medal at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.

Tumble in the rankings

A tennis sensation, Ups and downs, Heavy training schedule, A real nugget, 1992: first Grand Slam, First wrist problem, A more than successful comeback, Olympic title in Atlanta, Tumble in the rankings, Resurgence of his wrist injury, Illegal substances, Rock bottom, The return of a champion, An incredible career

Apparently mentally consumed by preparations for his wedding to actress Brooke Shields, as speculated by Essentially Sports, Agassi took a break from tennis and plummeted down the rankings following a series of poor results.

Resurgence of his wrist injury

A tennis sensation, Ups and downs, Heavy training schedule, A real nugget, 1992: first Grand Slam, First wrist problem, A more than successful comeback, Olympic title in Atlanta, Tumble in the rankings, Resurgence of his wrist injury, Illegal substances, Rock bottom, The return of a champion, An incredible career

The resurgence of his wrist injury also prevented him from competing at the French Open and Wimbledon, putting him in an even darker place.

Illegal substances

A tennis sensation, Ups and downs, Heavy training schedule, A real nugget, 1992: first Grand Slam, First wrist problem, A more than successful comeback, Olympic title in Atlanta, Tumble in the rankings, Resurgence of his wrist injury, Illegal substances, Rock bottom, The return of a champion, An incredible career

He returned during the summer, but failed to achieve good results, which didn't help things. It was a complicated period in his career, during which he later confessed in his autobiography 'Open' that he had taken illegal substances, including methamphetamine, at a time when his marriage was already on the rocks.

Rock bottom

A tennis sensation, Ups and downs, Heavy training schedule, A real nugget, 1992: first Grand Slam, First wrist problem, A more than successful comeback, Olympic title in Atlanta, Tumble in the rankings, Resurgence of his wrist injury, Illegal substances, Rock bottom, The return of a champion, An incredible career

He finished the 1997 season as world No. 110, a far cry from his standards. However, while others might have fallen by the wayside, Agassi bounced back the following season.

The return of a champion

A tennis sensation, Ups and downs, Heavy training schedule, A real nugget, 1992: first Grand Slam, First wrist problem, A more than successful comeback, Olympic title in Atlanta, Tumble in the rankings, Resurgence of his wrist injury, Illegal substances, Rock bottom, The return of a champion, An incredible career

After hitting rock bottom, the American decided to return to the top, once again becoming one of the world's elite players thanks to some magnificent results year after year.

An incredible career

A tennis sensation, Ups and downs, Heavy training schedule, A real nugget, 1992: first Grand Slam, First wrist problem, A more than successful comeback, Olympic title in Atlanta, Tumble in the rankings, Resurgence of his wrist injury, Illegal substances, Rock bottom, The return of a champion, An incredible career

Agassi went on to win one title after another, writing his legend a little more each season before retiring in 2006.

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