Andre Agassi admits in a new book that he lied to tennis authorities about his use of crystal methamphetamine in order to escape a ban.
Eight-time grand slam winner lied to ATP about use of crystal methamphetamine
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Andre Agassi has admitted in a new book that he lied to tennis authorities about his use of drugs in order to escape a ban.
The eight-time grand slam winner revealed in his autobiography 'Open', which is set to be released next month, that he used crystal methamphetamine in 1997 as he struggled with professional and personal issues.
Agassi further revealed that he failed a drug test that year but that the ATP chose not to punish him after he wrote them a letter to argue he had taken the drug accidentally.
In the book, which is being serialised in
The Times, the 39-year-old recalled being introduced to the drug at his home by a one-time assistant known as 'Slim'.
"Slim dumps a small pile of powder on the coffee table. He cuts it, snorts it. He cuts it again. I snort some. I ease back on the couch and consider the Rubicon I've just crossed," the American wrote.
"There is a moment of regret, followed by vast sadness. Then comes a tidal wave of euphoria that sweeps away every negative thought in my head. I've never felt so alive, so hopeful - and I've never felt such energy.
"I'm seized by a desperate desire to clean. I go tearing around my house, cleaning it from top to bottom. I dust the furniture. I scour the tub. I make the beds."
Phone call
Agassi said he received a phone call from a doctor working for the ATP in the autumn of 1997 to inform him that he had failed a drug test.
That year saw him fall to 141 in the world rankings - Agassi failing to win a title and also missing the Australian and French Opens as well as Wimbledon.
"My name, my career, everything is now on the line. Whatever I've achieved, whatever I've worked for, might soon mean nothing," he wrote.
"Days later I sit in a hard-backed chair, a legal pad in my lap, and write a letter to the ATP. It's filled with lies interwoven with bits of truth.
"I say Slim, whom I've since fired, is a known drug user, and that he often spikes his sodas with meth - which is true. Then I come to the central lie of the letter.
"I say that recently I drank accidentally from one of Slim's spiked sodas, unwittingly ingesting his drugs. I ask for understanding and leniency and hastily sign it: Sincerely.
"I feel ashamed, of course. I promise myself that this lie is the end of it."
Agassi, who retired in 2006, said the ATP reviewed his case and while he faced a minimum three-month ban, decided to believe his account and the case was withdrawn.
Asked how he thought his fans would react to the revelations, Agassi said: "I was worried for a moment, but not for long - I wore my heart on my sleeve and my emotions were always written on my face. I was actually excited about telling the world the whole story."
