Andre Agassi

blowing kisses to the crowd (www.google.com)

I think heroes are people who have big hearts and raise money for people in need. One who stands out to me is my hero, Andre Agassi. He has also made great accomplishments like raising money for at-risk children. And I think that’s pretty cool.

Andre Agassi was born on April 29, 1970 in “Sin City”, or in other words Las Vegas, Nevada. Agassi had a collection of tennis balls that filled up 60 garbage cans. There were about 300 balls per garbage can. He hit about 3,000 to 5,000 balls per day!!! When Agassi was still young, he was also practicing with tennis pros like Jimmy Connors!! When Andre was 14, he went to a tennis camp taught by tennis great Nick Bollettiri. Andre turned pro at 16 years old.

agassi in action (www.google.com)

Andre won his first major singles title in Itaparica in 1987. He was only 17 years old! He has also won the Australian Open four times. Along with that he has also won Wimbledon and the French Open once. But he has also won a big tournament called the U.S Open 2 times. Wow! That’s a lot of amazing titles.

Andre Agassi has donated a lot of money to charity. He has a foundation called the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation. It raises money for kids around the world that are very sick. And guess what? He has raised over $70 million for the children! I think this is a great characteristic of a great hero.

agassi smiling (www.google.com)

Andre Agassi got off to a not so good start in 2006. He was recovering from a bad ankle injury in 2005, and also had suffered from leg and back pain from lacking match play. When he was at Wimbledon, he announced that he was going to retire at the U.S Open in 2006. It was a second round scare at the U.S Open, where Andre faced #8 seeded Marcos Baghdatis. Andre won 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 7-5 due to Baghdatis’ muscle cramps in the final set. But the 4th round was the saddest of all. Andre faced 112th ranked Benjamin Becker in four tough, sad sets. But, after the match Andre received an 8-minute standing ovation of the cheering crowd of New York City. Wow! What a great career.

Andre Agassi is my hero because he has accomplished many feats. But I’m not talking about how many titles he has won; I’m talking about his generosity to others. And I think that really stands out in a hero world.