Andre Agassi was born on 29 April 1970 in Las Vegas, Nevada, and grew up there. His father Mike, an Iranian immigrant, pushed him at tennis from the cradle, and at 13 he sent him to Nick Bollettieri's academy in Bradenton, Florida. In 1986 he emerged as Bollettieri's 16-year-old prodigy, and the two worked together until 1993, when Bollettieri, who felt he did not work hard enough, ended their decade-long partnership.
He lost three major finals in his early years, among them the 1990 US Open to Pete Sampras, before winning Wimbledon in 1992. With Brad Gilbert as his coach from 1994 he won six majors, beginning with the 1994 US Open. Then his career fell apart: in 1997 he dropped to No. 141 in the world, and many believed his time among the elite was over. He rebuilt from the bottom, and in 1999 he won the French Open, completing the career Golden Slam, all four majors and Olympic gold, and returned to No. 1.
The second half of his career brought a US Open title in 1999 and three more Australian Opens, in 2000, 2001 and 2003. The Australian Darren Cahill became his coach in 2002, and his fitness trainer Gil Reyes, a fellow Las Vegan, kept him in exceptional condition well into his thirties; he reached US Open finals 15 years apart, in 1990 and 2005. His rivalry with Sampras framed both their careers, from that 1990 final to Sampras's last match, the 2002 US Open final.
He won eight major singles titles: four Australian Opens, the 1999 French Open, the 1992 Wimbledon and two US Opens, and 60 singles titles, with a career record of 870 wins and 274 losses. He retired after the 2006 US Open. Through his charitable foundation he opened the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy in Las Vegas in 2001, a public charter school for at-risk children. He married Steffi Graf in 2001.