It's amazing how dangerous of a sport tennis seems. In every tournament, there is at least one player who sprains, pulls or breaks some part of their body. You'd think these people were playing tackle football. And, the easy-on-the-eyes Andre Agassi, just 36, is no exception. He ducked out of the Nasdaq-100 Open in Miami in late March due to chronic back trouble. Miami was to have been only his fourth event of the season. He left the Australian Open with an ankle injury. Even worse, it has been reported that Agassi speculates his game may permanently be stiffled over this pain in his back. He has tried to grin and bare it for some time. Apparently, he's had chronic back pain for almost 4 years. A wonder child in tennis circles, Agassi turned pro at age 16. Agassi's Grand Slam debut arrived in 1992 at Wimbledon, when he beat Goran Ivanisevic. The self-proclaimed rebel (formerly with long hair) was married to the actress Brooke Shields 1997-1999. In 2001, he married the fellow tennis player Steffi Graf, literally a match made on the court. The big question comes with how much longer Agassi's body will allow him to play the quality of tennis fans and experts are accustomed to seeing him play. While only time will tell, speculation suggests he will retire before anyone expects it. |
