Andre Agassi News

Andre Agassi nearly lost a grip on two special rackets at a benefit auction before his wife, Steffi Graf, bought them for US$360,000. In the live auction before Agassi's 11th Grand Slam for Children on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, the tennis star was almost ready to donate the racket with which he won his first professional match, and the racket he used in his final U.S. Open. Bidding topped $320,000 before Graf intervened. ``Those rackets ...

American Andre Agassi has picked up a tennis racket only once since he played his final competitive match at the U.S. Open earlier this month. ``I hit for 30 minutes with my wife,'' he said, ``because she wanted some exercise.'' The eight-time Grand Slam champion might be enjoying the chance to stay away from the courts, but it sure didn't take him long to find something else to do with ...

``Well, I was sitting there realizing that I was saying goodbye to everybody out there, and they were saying goodbye to me. It's saying goodbye. It's a necessary evil. But we were getting through it together. That felt amazing.'' _ Andre Agassi of the United States. ___ ``It's a tough situation. You know it was his last match. Such a great guy. Inspired me when I grew up. Obviously, you ...

He was flat-footed and in pain at the finish, which is the way all but a few of the great ones bow out of their sport. They can choose when to leave, but not always how, and so some part of you wanted a better ending for Andre Agassi. Another championship, maybe, the way Lance Armstrong left cycling and Rocky Marciano stepped between ...

Andre Agassi's on-court speech to the crowd after the final match of his pro career, a loss to Benjamin Becker in the third round of the U.S. Open on Sunday: ``The scoreboard said I lost today, but what the scoreboard doesn't say is what it is I have found. ``And over the last 21 years, I have found loyalty. You have pulled for me on the court and also in life. I've found inspiration. You have willed ...

Worn down and wincing, Andre Agassi could only stand and watch the final shot whiz by. A career for the ages came to a close Sunday when Agassi lost to the 112th-ranked player in the world, with Benjamin Becker serving an ace to finish off a 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-5 third-round victory at the U.S. Open. Playing with the spirit of a champion but a creaky body that needed three injections, the end came with Agassi ...

Tennis great Andre Agassi is headed to retirement. The American broke into tears after losing his third-round match at the U.S. Open to Benjamin Becker. He sat in a chair sobbing while receiving a lengthy standing ovation. Agassi fought hard but couldn't overcome his bad back or the German qualifier in the 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-5 loss. The 36-year-old had said before the tournament that this would be his final event.

Andre Agassi received another anti-inflammatory injection Saturday and got an extra day to rest before playing in the third round of the U.S. Open, his match postponed because of intermittent rain. ``I'll be all right. I don't need sympathy. I'll be OK,'' Agassi said with a smile as he walked toward an exit, his racket bag slung over a shoulder. With no competition on any court as of 4 p.m. ET, Agassi's match against German qualifier Benjamin Becker ...

Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova and everyone else at the U.S. Open was made to wait as light, intermittent rain and strong wind delayed the start of play for at least four hours Saturday. By 3 p.m. ET, the action across the grounds at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center had been limited to practice strokes between rain drops. Sharapova and Roddick _ scheduled for the day's first two matches in Arthur Ashe Stadium ...

Andre Agassi needed another injection Friday to deal with back pain so intense he couldn't even ride in a car to the hospital. He didn't practice at all the day ahead of his scheduled third-round match at the U.S. Open against German qualifier Benjamin Becker. The Open is the last tournament of eight-time major champion Agassi's pro career. Agassi was examined by the U.S. Open's chief medical officer, Brian Hainline, after his theatrical five-set, three-hour, 48-minute second-round victory over ...