On This Day: Andre Agassi caps comeback from World No. 141 to No. 1 in 1999

No 1 Club

On This Day: Agassi caps comeback from World No. 141 to No. 1 in 1999

American struggled with mental health after initial rise

Mark Sandten/Bongarts/Getty Images Andre Agassi returned to World No. 1 after reaching the 1999 Wimbledon final. By Arthur Kapetanakis

Andre Agassi hit a low point in his career, his personal life and the PIF ATP Rankings in 1997, falling to a low of World No. 141 in November of that year. It was a precipitous drop for the American fan favourite, who was No. 1 less than two years prior.

Already a three-time Grand Slam champion, nine-time ATP Masters 1000 titlist and an Olympic gold medallist, Agassi was left feeling isolated and unfulfilled as he dealt with the fame and pressure that accompanied his initial rise.

“I got to No. 1 in the world, and people must've thought I was living the dream, but I was probably the most disconnected, unhappy person in a lot of ways," Agassi said earlier this year. “I spent two years falling to 140 in the world. Everybody in the world was surprised except me.”

In a trophy-less 1997 season that was further complicated by a wrist injury, Agassi played 12 tour-level tournaments and won just 10 matches, bowing out eight times in the opening round and never reaching a final.

Having seriously considered retirement, Agassi rediscovered his spark at the end of that season. Going back to basics, he closed that year by returning to the ATP Challenger Tour, where he reached the final in his hometown of Las Vegas and won a title in Burbank.

“When I found my reason for playing, I had to start over again,” said Agassi, who rededicated himself to the game and his fitness routines late that year, losing 16 pounds in a three-week training block.

“It was too important to me and people thought I was Bruce Springsteen playing at the local bar or something,” he said of his Challenger appearances. “But for me it was the most connected I’d ever felt with tennis, because I finally had my reason to be back out there. While I was playing guys that probably never dreamed they’d meet me, let alone beat me. At the end of it, I was where I needed to be. That felt so good.”

Agassi won five titles and reached five additional finals in a resurgent 1998 season, hitting a high of No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings that November. In stark contrast to his Challenger trips to close the prior year, Agassi finished his 1998 season at the Nitto ATP Finals — though he was forced to retire in his opening match with a back injury.

His rise continued the next season, when he followed a title in Hong Kong with his maiden Roland Garros triumph — a feat that completed his career Grand Slam — and a run to the Wimbledon final.

While Agassi lost to then-No. 1 Pete Sampras in the Wimbledon final, he left London ahead of his countryman in the PIF ATP Rankings. On 5 July 1999, Agassi reclaimed the No. 1 spot for the first time in nearly three-and-a-half years.

His third stint at the top lasted just three weeks, but he quickly returned to the summit in September behind his second US Open title. This time, Agassi held onto the honour for 52 weeks, closing 1999 as World No. 1.

Agassi later enjoyed two more stints at No. 1 in 2003, ultimately spending 101 total weeks at the summit for his career.

Learn more about the ATP No. 1 Club.

Click here to read article