Agassi drug scandal: Tennis legends react
Andre Agassi has rocked the tennis world by confessing he used meth—and then lied about it. Will his reputation survive?
Agassi's aptly named biography
(Courtesy of Knopf Publishing)
In his controversial new autobiography, Open, Andre Agassi admits he took speed as a junior player and crystal meth as a pro in 1997—then lied to officials (claiming he’d downed a spiked soda) to avoid suspension when he tested positive for meth. Now other tennis legends are speaking out: Will the sport stand by this beloved icon?
MARTINA NAVRATILOVA
Agassi’s legacy is permanently tarnished: Using drugs and lying about it after the fact puts Agassi in the same camp as disgraced baseball player and accused steroid abuser Roger Clemens, says former champion Martina Navratilova, as quoted in The Australian. “It’s shocking,” she says. “He beat some people [and won championships] when he should have been suspended.”
RAFAEL NADAL
This is the last thing tennis needs: “To me, it seems terrible,” says Spanish star Rafael Nadal (ranked number two in the world) in the Guardian. Agassi’s confession inflicts needless damage on the sport and raises suspicions about other professional players.
BORIS BECKER
Why is Agassi correcting the lie now? “[I’m] struggling to get my head around why Andre would … confess to something so damaging as taking drugs and then getting away with it?” says retired great Boris Becker, as quoted in the Daily Telegraph. “Why would he want to be so brutally honest?”
ANDY MURRAY
He still deserves hero status: Scottish pro Andy Murray, quoted in the BBC's website, says the incident hasn’t changed how he sees Agassi, whom he continues to hold in high esteem: “I judge him as a tennis player…[he] was great, one of the best of all time.”
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11 Comments
Posted by Moderate, Tuesday, November 3, 2009, 7:58 am Controversy sells books. Period. Let's see....tennis...the gentlemen's sport...hmmm...sex...no Wilt beat me there....Tilden already hit the gay side....hmmm...drugs! YES...Drugs and Tennis....legacy be damned! Say it ain't so Andre!
Posted by YourLifeisBoringToMe, Tuesday, November 3, 2009, 9:23 am Controversy is also much more interesting than a regular boring life. Oh what is that? What did you do with your life? Lived well worked hard? Interestin.......ZZZZZZZZZZZZ.....
Posted by jmo, Tuesday, November 3, 2009, 10:11 am This CAN'T be compared to the Jose Conseco or Mark McGwire scandals because the drug took didn't enhance his ability to perform.Meth tears you down, it's not something designed to make you perform better.yes it's immoral, and yes it sets a bad example, but to compareAndre to the cheaters who used performance enhancing substances to intentionally advance their abilities, is simply unwarranted.
Posted by jmo, Tuesday, November 3, 2009, 10:12 am and if you're wondeirng why he confessed all these things.Two words.Conscience from the book sales
Posted by jmo, Tuesday, November 3, 2009, 10:12 am that's supposed to read Conscience and MONEY
Posted by Amy Lynn, Tuesday, November 3, 2009, 3:15 pm Did he do this for the money? Cleanse his conscience? Why? Does he think anyone cares? Why do these self annointed stars have such a need to burden us with their mistakes and short comings? Why not just concentrate on the present and future, and all of the good things he is doing NOW and wants to do in the future? We do NOT care, Andre. We really do not. Do NOT go on Harpo and cleanse your soul. For the love of money, and fame, regardless of good or bad press, so long as they whisper his name. Very sad and pathetic. Lessens his image in my eyes
Posted by Tomas, Tuesday, November 3, 2009, 3:18 pm Drag Andre in front of Congress, as they did the baseball players. Grill him and have him spill dirt on the sport and other players. He won when he should have been kicked out of tennis. Strip him of titles and money. Where are the federal investigators who focused on baseball? This is beyond a BO beer summit. Andre broke the law and damaged tennis. What a pig.
Posted by Moderate, Tuesday, November 3, 2009, 4:31 pm If everybody that did a recreational drug were kicked out of their sport, the NBA would close down, and the only sport anyone could watch would be third grade kickball. We in tennis think our sport is the only pure sport....boy am I naive. Say hey to Hingis, Gerulaitis, Rusedski, Capriati, and don't forget Gasquet.
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