Tennis player Andre Agassi maintained the highest public profile of any tennis player in the 1990s—and he backed that profile up by playing some of the best tennis of the decade. Trained from a very early age to succeed in tennis by his father Mike, Agassi turned professional at age 16. By the end of his third year on tour in 1988 Agassi was ranked third in the world; by 1995 he was number one and, though he faltered thereafter, he remained among the top ten players in the world into the late 1990s. Through the end of 1998 Agassi had won three of the four major tournaments—Wimbledon, the Australian Open, and the U.S. Open, failing only at the French Open. Though his tennis game took Agassi to the top, it was his movie-star looks, his huge, high-profile endorsement deals—with Nike and Cannon, among others—and his marriage to model/actress Brooke Shields that made him one of sports' best-known celebrities.

Further Reading:

Bauman, Paul. Agassi and Ecstasy: The Turbulent Life of Andre Agassi. New York, Bonus Books, 1997.

Dieffenbach, Dan. "Redefining Andre Agassi." Sport. August1995, 86-88.

Sherrill, Martha. "Educating Andre." Esquire. May 1995, 88-96.