Author, Philanthropist, Education Advocate, Former #1 Ranked Tennis Player and Multi Grand Slam Champion
Author, Philanthropist, Education Advocate, Former #1 Ranked Tennis Player and Multi Grand Slam Champion
After turning pro at the age of 16, tennis prodigy Andre Agassi rose to international fame, earning 60 men’s singles titles, including eight Grand Slam singles championships, over a 20-year career. A former World No. 1 player, Agassi is the only male player ever to win all four Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold medal. He was also a member of three winning Davis Cup teams (1990, 1992, and 1995). On July 9, 2011, Andre was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame for the Class of 2011.
While his tennis career took him all over the world, Agassi always stayed connected to his hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada. In 1994, at the age of 24, he created the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education. Early activities included building a shelter in Las Vegas for abused and neglected children, creating the Andre Agassi Boys and Girls Club, and developing Team Agassi, a tennis program that nurtures professional players and puts college within reach.
For over 25 years, the Foundation has honed its mission to focus on transforming public education. In 2001, the Foundation opened the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, a tuition-free K-12 public charter school, in historical West Las Vegas with approximately 1,200 students. Recognized as a model charter school, Agassi Prep graduated its first senior class in June 2009 with a 100 percent college acceptance rate.
After successfully graduating 9 senior classes, Agassi Prep made the decision to turn over operations to Democracy Prep, a high-achieving charter management organization with 17 high-performing charter schools in the nation. Agassi Prep is now referred to as Democracy Prep at the Agassi Campus.
Since the inception of the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education, $185 million dollars has been raised to benefit the mission of the Foundation, including $118 million from the Grand Slam for Children fundraising event. The Grand Slam for Children served as the Foundation’s primary fundraising vehicle and brought together international stars to raise awareness and money.
After retiring in 2006, Andre Agassi increased his focus on his foundation and on promoting education reform. He is also building a lifestyle business through endorsement relationships, joint venture investments and real estate development. In November 2009, he released his autobiography Open, which reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and continues to hit record sales internationally.
In June 2011, as part of an effort to expand his impact on education, Andre partnered with Turner Impact Capital on an innovative new real estate fund – the Turner-Agassi Charter School Facilities Fund – to promote the success and growth of best-in-class charter schools in urban communities across the United States. As of 2022, the fund has opened 120 schools, serving over 100,000 students in some of the most economically challenged neighborhoods in America.
Andre launched Square Panda, an award-winning educational technology learning system utilizing phonics with multi-sensory play. Designed for kids two and older, the playset blends physical and digital learning as it keeps kids entertained through age-appropriate learning games grounded in a research-based curriculum. Early readers play their way to reading fluency as they engage with physical smart letters that connect them to a library of learning games. Square Panda’s mission is to give children the tools to become fluent, confident readers, and empower them to love reading.
He is married to tennis superstar, philanthropist, and businesswoman Stefanie Graf. The family resides in Las Vegas.
Andre Agassi had his life mapped out for him before he left the crib. Groomed to be a tennis champion by his moody and demanding father, by the age of 22, Agassi had won the first of his eight grand slams and achieved wealth, celebrity, and the game’s highest honors. But as he reveals in this in-depth conversation, off the court he was often unhappy, confused, and unfulfilled by his great achievements in a sport he had come to resent.
Agassi speaks candidly about his early success, his uncomfortable relationship with fame, his growing interest in philanthropy, and—in haunting, point-by-point detail—the highs and lows of his celebrated career.