Andre Agassi’s confession that he took crystal meth in 97 and got away with lying to testing officials took a little shine off the great man’s glare this week for many. Here you are talking about one of the greatest athletes of all time, on the most visible, one of the great champions, one of the few to do all the grand slams, and you would think he would be beyond a slagging off by anyone, but it seems this time he has gone beyond the line.
The reasons for confessing come handily with the release of the new book, his autobiography. He doesn’t need the money, he doesn’t need the attention, he is loved and adored by his fans and people outside tennis. Perhaps it was something “he had to do”, whatever the reasons, whilst not condoning drug use in any shape or form, the word is that it won’t deflect too much from the great man, his charity work in vegas is legendary, he’s supposed to be a great family man, the question will always be “why?”, and perhaps only the great man can answer that?
A litte background to the drug taking would be that agassi’s life was in a mess back then, relationship problems, the hollywood lifestyle, drinking, fell out of love with tennis etc etc. The story of how he came back from there is legendary. From being ranked 141 in the world, he climbed back to number one with the help of gil reyes, a legendary hard nosed vegas trainer who had him running running forwards, and backwards up 900 yard vegas sand dunes-until he was often vomitting!!!
His weight training was often legendary too, bench pressing 310 pounds, which is superb for not such a big guy, with previous lifestyle asnd fitness problems to say the least! The bottom line was that Agassi applied himself again to realise the champion potential he always had, which most of us saw all too briefly in his sole wimbledon win in 92.
His story is often inspirational, and unfortunately, this drug confession will only make his book that much more readable!! Will probably and go out and buy it myself today! If all this helps agassi come out and tell the kids in the world about all the horrible realities about crystal meth and all drugs, some good may come out of it?!
Keri
How many of the top players in ALL sports take drugs and are there so many ways of masking them these days? if so arent the authorities aware of this then?
All sports are tainted with drugs bar none, and the authorities know about it. They tend to make examples of the “expendables”! The Ben Johnson’s, the Greg Rusedski’s, numerous unheard of rugby player’s etc. Agassi was “too big to fail” undoubtedly, and would have cast a cloud on the sport for years, opening up many cans of worms!
Did you know Carl Lewis was done for some “indescretion” in 1998, when he was just “messing” around in minor meetings, just like when Linford Christie got caught. I hasten to add that the USA athletic authorities took no action against Lewis, and got off on a technicality. Lewis was the golden boy of US athletics and the poster boy of drug free athletics. It doesn’t take a genius to work out why Lewis didn’t get prosecuted!
He will always be a CHAMPION in my eyes, I wached him play for many many thrilling and absorbing hours, your right Keri, he did come back from the wilderness and prove everyone wrong, and Gil Reyes had everything to do with that. I admire him for coming out and telling the world, I would think alot less of him if he wrote his book and lied, he did the right thing, I DO think it was something he had to do given that he is a parent, it is never good to lie. I am just happy that it didnt come out then, it may have ruined his career, It doesnt take much these days, Tiger Woods, John Terry, careers in tatters and only for adultery, no drugs
good post!