In the late 1980s, when tennis was looking for a revival and needed a shot of adrenaline to revive its energy and excitement, along came Andre Agassi. He was more than accommodating.

Andre brought flash and pizzazz to courts throughout the world, a star appeal the sport hadn’t witnessed since Ellsworth Vines debuted his charm, Hollywood good-looks, and supreme play in the early 1930s. True to his Las Vegas roots, Andre was a showman and entertainer, a devastating baseline player who bashed every ball as though his life depended on it. Long before he had ever won his first tournament, Nike signed the teenager to a multi-million dollar endorsement contract and created a line of shoes and apparel that matched his playing style: loud, bold, aggressive, and confident

Andre was trained in tennis as a toddler from his father Mike, an Iranian immigrant and former Olympic boxer. Agassi was taught to hit the ball as hard as he could on every shot. He obliged, becoming a devastating baseline player who won match after match without playing much at net.

During his career, and particularly since retirement, Agassi has focused on philanthropic ventures primarily in the areas of children and education. In 2001, he opened the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, a tuition free public charter school for kindergarten through Grade 12 and the Agassi Boys and Girls Club in Las Vegas’s most at-risk neighborhood.