Andre Agassi admitts using drugs

Tennis player admitted that he used crystal meth in 1997 when his career stagnated but he managed to convince the ATP that it was accidental

Eight-time winner of Grand Slam tournament, Andre Agassi, admitted in his new autobiography that he failed the doping test, but that he lied to the tennis authorities.

American tennis player admitted that he used crystal meth in 1997 when his career was stagnating, but he managed to convince the Association of professional tennis players (ATP) that this was accidental.

Magazine ‘People’ reports that, in his new memoir titled “Open: Autobiography”, Agassi talks about drugs, his hair loss and marriage to actress Brooke Shields.

‘I’m ashamed’

Agassi (39) said he received a phone call from a doctor who worked for ATP in the fall of 1997 and that he was told that he failed a doping test for crystal methamphetamine.

- My name, my career, everything was on the line. Whatever I have achieved, everything I have worked for could soon become nothing - Agassi wrote in his memoirs.

Agassi said for the ATP that he accidentally took a drink from his former assistant Slim.

- I said that Slim, whom I fired and who was a well-known drug addict, ‘enriched’ his drinks with meth, which was true. And then I said the main lie - I said that I accidentally drank his drink and accidentally took the drug. I am ashamed of this, of course - he added.

Agassi added that ATP considered his case but, in the end, decided to believe his story and the case was rejected.

His career got ‘stuck’ in 1997

Journals ‘People’ and ‘Sports Illustrated’ will publish fragments from Agassi’s book which is expected to be released on November 9^th.  

American tennis player became the idol of millions of fans after he won Wimbledon 1992 and the U.S. Open in 1994.

But his career got ‘stuck’ in 1997 when he had wrist injury and was rankeded as 122 on ATP’s scale. In his book, he admitted that this caused him to suffer a severe loss of confidence.

However, he managed to return to winning in 1998 after which he won numerous tournaments before his final retirement in 2006.