Andre Agassi made a shocking admission before retiring from tennis in 2006.
Agassi won eight major singles titles in his career, and is one of only eight men to complete the Career Grand Slam in history.
However, the latter stages of Agassi’s career were more challenging, with the American unable to win a Grand Slam for the last three years of his career.
When speaking about this period in his book, Agassi claimed that he always hated playing tennis for one reason.
Andre Agassi once claimed he always hated being a tennis player
After winning his eighth Grand Slam title at the 2003 Australian Open, Agassi was unable to add to his major tally.
During this time, the former world number one dealt with a chronic back injury, which Agassi spoke about in his autobiography.
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When reliving the moments leading up to his retirement, which Agassi announced after losing in the third round of Wimbledon, he admitted he hated tennis due to both the pressure it put on his body and mind.
Agassi wrote, “I’m a young man, relatively speaking. Thirty-six. But I wake as if ninety-six. After three decades of sprinting, stopping on a dime, jumping high and landing hard, my body no longer feels like my body, especially in the morning. Consequently my mind doesn’t feel like my mind.
“Upon opening my eyes I’m a stranger to myself, and while, again, this isn’t new, in the mornings it’s more pronounced. I run quickly through the basic facts. My name is Andre Agassi. My wife’s name is Stefanie Graf. We have two children, a son and daughter, five and three.
“We live in Las Vegas, Nevada, but currently reside in a suite at the Four Seasons hotel in New York City, because I’m playing in the 2006 U.S. Open. My last U.S. Open. In fact my last tournament ever. I play tennis for a living, even though I hate tennis, hate it with a dark and secret passion, and always have.”
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Despite the pain and struggles he faced, with Agassi undergoing anti-inflammatory injections between matches, he was still able to produce some more entertaining moments at the US Open.
This was particularly highlighted during his second round match against eighth seed Marcos Baghdatis, which Agassi won in a five set thriller.
Agassi’s career would then come to an end in the following round, losing to qualifier Benjamin Becker in four sets.
| US Open 2006 | Andre Agassi’s Results |
| First Round | Agassi beat Andrei Pavel, 6(4)-7 7-6(8) 7-6(6) 6-2 |
| Second Round | Agassi beat Marcos Baghdatis (8), 6-4 6-4 3-6 5-7 7-5 |
| Third Round | Benjamin Becker (Q) beat Agassi, 7-5 6(4)-7 6-4 7-5 |
It was an emotional farewell for Agassi, who received a standing ovation from the American crowd at the US Open.
The former world number one appears to have since rediscovered his love for the sport, with Agassi captaining Team World at the Laver Cup for the first time this year.
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