FALL OF A LEGEND

Former world number one Andre Agassi stunned the world by admitting to drug use during his playing days. Agassi in his upcoming autobiography ‘Open’ admits to using crystal meth in 1997.

A tennis legend, Agassi is the winner of eight grand-slams. He was renowned for his stunning returns, flowing blond locks and colourful outfits. His career nose-dived soon after his marriage to actress Brooke Shields in the mid 90’s, a troubled phase when he got hooked on methadone.

Agassi writes that his assistant, referred to only as ‘Slim’ in the book, introduced him to the drug. He even failed a blood test conducted by ATP, facing the prospect of being banned for a few months for meth was on the ATP’s list of banned substances. Agassi describes how he got out the sticky situation, “My name, my career, everything is now on the line. Whatever I've achieved, whatever I've worked for might soon mean nothing. Days later I sit in a hard-backed chair, a legal pad in my lap, and write a letter to the ATP. It's filled with lies interwoven with bits of truth." "I say Slim, whom I've since fired, is a known drug user, and that he often spikes his sodas with meth - which is true. Then I come to the central lie of the letter. I say that recently I drank accidentally from one of Slim's spiked sodas, unwittingly ingesting his drugs. I ask for understanding and leniency and hastily sign it: sincerely.” ATP accepted his version of the story and he was not suspended.

Agassi was one of the most successful and popular tennis players and the excerpts from his book have been released to create a buzz in the market. However, his disclosure has stunned the tennis fraternity and fans alike. Agassi admitted taking drugs when his career and personal life were in shambles, with his singles ranking plummeting to 141 in 1997. In 1998 he cleaned up his act and ended the year ranked number six, the highest jump into the top ten in a single year. By winning the French Open the following year, he became only the fifth male player to have won all the grand-slams and ended the year as the top ranked player in the world. His revelation has reignited the debate regarding drug usage in sports. His announcement was a bomb-shell dropped on the world of tennis; current players like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal as well as former players like Martina Navratilova have expressed their displeasure over Agrassi’s revelation.

Time and again the problem of drug usage among sport persons has come to public attention. In Agassi’s case, the shocking aspect is how ATP bought his lie and took no action against him. The confession has tarnished Agassi’s reputation and pulled him down from the pedestal of a great champion.