NEW YORK (AP) — Andre Agassi’s upcoming autobiography contains an admission that he used crystal meth in
1997 and lied to tennis authorities when he failed a drug test — a result that was thrown out after he
said he "unwittingly" took the substance.
According to an excerpt of the autobiography published Wednesday in The Times of London, the eight-time
Grand Slam champion writes that he sent a letter to the ATP tour to explain the positive test, saying he
accidentally drank from a soda spiked with meth by his assistant "Slim."
"Then I come to the central lie of the letter," Agassi writes. "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 said the ATP reviewed the case, accepted his explanation and threw it out.
ATP spokesman Nicola Arzani said Wednesday he would not comment "at the moment," and the
International Tennis Federation’s Emily Bevan referred all questions to the ATP.
Agassi retired in 2006. Excerpts from his autobiography, which comes out Nov. 9, are being published this
week in the London newspaper, as well as Sports Illustrated and People magazines.
In a story posted on People magazine’s Web site Tuesday, Agassi says: "I can’t speak to addiction,
but a lot of people would say that if you’re using anything as an escape, you have a problem."
According to the Times of London, Agassi writes in his book that "Slim" was the person who
introduced him to crystal meth, dumping a small pile of powder on the coffee table.
"I snort some. I ease back on the couch and consider the Rubicon I’ve just crossed," Agassi
writes.
"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."
Among the most successful — and, without a doubt, one of the most popular — tennis players in history,
Agassi drew attention not just for his play, but also for his outfits, his hairstyles and his
relationships with women, including a failed marriage to actress Brooke Shields.
Agassi’s first major championship came at Wimbledon in 1992, and he won a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta
Olympics. But by late 1997, he dropped to No. 141 in the rankings, and he was playing in tennis’
equivalent of the minor leagues.
He resuscitated his career in 1998, making the biggest one-year jump into the top 10 in the history of
the ATP rankings. The next season, he won the French Open to complete a career Grand Slam, then added a
second career U.S. Open title en route to finishing 1999 at No. 1.
After an exhibition match Sunday in Macau against longtime rival Pete Sampras, Agassi was asked if his
autobiography contained any major revelations.
"I think I had to learn a lot about myself through the process," Agassi said. "There was a
lot that even surprised me. So to think that one won’t be surprised by it, it would be an
understatement.
"Whatever revelations exist, you’ll get to see in full glory," he added. "But the truth
is, my hope is that somebody doesn’t just learn more about me, what it is I’ve been through, but somehow
through those lessons, they can learn a lot about themselves. And I think it’s fair to say that they
will."
In a posting on People’s Web site, Agassi says he "was worried for a moment, but not for long,"
about how fans would react if they found out he used drugs.
"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," Agassi says.
A writer from SI first revealed the crystal meth reference on a Twitter posting Tuesday.
According to the Times of London excerpt, Agassi was walking through New York’s LaGuardia airport when he
got the call that he had failed a drug test.
"There is doom in his voice, as if he’s going to tell me I’m dying," Agassi writes. "And
that’s exactly what he tells me."
"He reminds me that tennis has three classes of drug violation," Agassi writes.
"Performance-enhancing drugs … would constitute a Class 1, he says, which would carry a
suspension of two years. However, he adds, crystal meth would seem to be a clear case of Class 2.
Recreational drugs." That would mean a three-month suspension.
"My name, my career, everything is now on the line. Whatever I’ve achieved, whatever I’ve worked
for, might soon mean nothing. 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."
In 2007, Martina Hingis tested positive for cocaine after a third-round exit at Wimbledon. She denied
using the drug but was banned for two years. In July, Frenchman Richard Gasquet was cleared to resume
playing after a 2½-month ban upon persuading the International Tennis Federation’s tribunal panel that
he inadvertently took cocaine by kissing a woman in a nightclub.