Andre Agassi

Seeing Andre Agassi today-happy husband, doting father, soft-spoken respected elder of professional tennis-it is hard to picture the brash wild child who turned pro at age 16 and turned heads with a mane of flowing blonde hair. Now 34, Agassi has lost the locks but not the fire that has fueled 58 singles titles including eight Grand Slams. Agassi is one of only five men to achieve the career Grand Slam by winning the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

Las Vegas born and raised, Agassi and wife Steffi Graf are living a happy suburbanite life with their son Jaden Gil, 3 and baby daughter Jaz. When he is not traveling the globe trying to serve and volley the young guns into submission, Agassi oversees an active charitable foundation and enjoys hanging around the house, especially the kitchen.

I recently caught up with Agassi during a precious quiet moment: the kids' nap time.

How many tournaments did you play last year?
Last year I played 13 tournaments. When I play a tournament I'm typically there a week early, two weeks for the Grand Slams. If I make it deep into a Grand Slam, I'm there for three weeks-more for the Australian Open because it is so far to travel. If I play 13 tournaments, I'll probably spend 30 weeks on the road.

Having young children now, do you catch yourself saying, "you know, maybe I'll skip this tournament and stay home with the wife and kids?"
I ?nd myself wanting to very often! But, no, I take a pretty practical, professional approach to my business. I make a lot of hard choices to be away from the family, but I also get a lot of support from Stef.

You have a wife who truly understands.
I don't believe it's necessary for a spouse to understand their partner so intimately in their work. But, man, is it a luxury. On the things that we get to talk about, but more on the things that we don't have to talk about.

When you are in Las Vegas, what are some of your favorite hangouts?
Life has changed so much with the kids. If we had this conversation a few years ago, I'd be able to rattle off a bunch of places. We love Nobhill at MGM Grand. But for us it's gone from ?ne dining to Chuck E. Cheese's!

How has Las Vegas changed since you were a kid growing up there? What's the biggest change you see?
I would say the biggest change is in our culture. I think we've really grown into our own. I believe that there was a time when we considered ourselves sort of set apart from the world, not necessarily in a positive way. But I think we've come to believe in what it is that we stand for, which is a city of great vision, a city that believes that if you dream it, you can make it happen. I think it's gotten to the core of all of our experiences and hearts and allowed us to believe in ourselves. Anybody that's been in this town for more than 25 years now knows that we were ahead of the curve, you know? This is one of the greatest places in the world. Everybody who's lived here has felt that way, but I think you can see it manifest itself in our culture with all that we have to offer between the entertainment, the arts, the museums the theater, and the restaurants. I think we just take a lot more pride in ourselves.

How would you characterize your childhood in Las Vegas?
I had a unique experience because I was directed towards tennis. My dad had one rule in the house on weekends: you wake up, you play tennis and you brush your teeth, in that order.

How did you get introduced to tennis?
I am the baby of four children, and we all played. I grew up on the tennis court because my brother and sisters were playing. I was out there in diapers.

You turned pro at 16, and now you are 34. When you were 16 didn't 34 seem ancient? You're not exactly acting your age. Your contemporaries-Pete Sampras, Jim Courier, Michael Chang-they've all retired. To what do you attribute your staying power?
I attribute it, ?rst of all, to good health. If you have anything in your body that prevents you from moving the way you want and need to move, there's nowhere to hide out there. There's no one to pass the ball to. You can't take a time out.

You've played so many memorable matches. Is it possible to pick one that was the most meaningful?
The 1999 French Open ?nal when I ?nally won the career grand slam! There was a lot of history there. A decade earlier I could have won it-it could have been my ?rst Slam-but I didn't, and it turned out to be the last of the four Grand Slams I won. I had a shoulder injury that almost kept me out of the event altogether, plus I was coming off a dif?cult time in my life. I was going through a divorce. To ?ght my way through all those little demons and battles, it just felt like a fairy-tale.

Who are your favorites among today's young tennis players?
There are so many players I enjoy watching, a lot of whom casual tennis fans might not know-yet. There's Fabrice Santoro from France, whom we call The Magician because this kid is incredible with the racket. And Fernando Gonzalez from Chile, who plays the game entirely different, so little by feel and so much by just sheer power.

The sport seems to be in need of something to reignite fan interest. What do you think tennis needs to boost its popularity?
Let's make clear that we're speaking from an American perspective because tennis is an international sport and it's thriving in many countries. I mean thriving. There's not a seat you can get at a lot of tournaments. That being said, I believe we need to unite this sport-the tournaments, the players, male and female-and sell tennis as an entire package. We've got so many different governing bodies that the average fans can't make heads or tails of which tournaments are important. They are watching tennis four times a year- the Grand Slams-and most likely they are tuning in only towards the end of the tournament. I think that's doing a disservice to the game and to the tennis fans.

When you've had enough of competing against these young kids, what would you like to do when you grow up?
I think of the things that are important to me now, my foundation and the projects we have going on, changing the lives of thousands of children here in the inner city of Las Vegas. I am so looking forward to the graduation day of the ?rst class that goes all the way through the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy [a charter school for at-risk youth].

You are also a budding restaurateur and partners with Chef Michael Mina in SEABLUE at MGM Grand. Are you a good cook?
Here's the statement I will make: If I'm cooking you a meal, it will be good because I won't do it until I've run through it a number of times and am really ready to serve it to my friends.

What's your specialty dish?
I can absolutely nail a 24-hour marinated entire tenderloin, cut it into the best-looking ?lets you've ever seen, seared, and cooked to perfection over a charcoal grill. We were talking a little bit about retirement and speaking on that subject your lovely wife certainly seems to appear happy in her new role as a mom.

She's not looking to make a comeback?
No. I wish there were a way I could express how content she is.

Are there any similar characteristics between being a champion tennis player and a successful parent?
Being successful at tennis requires the skill of problem solving. You're out there by yourself, every situation is different and everyone throws a different sort of curve and twist at you. Parenting is sort of the same thing. You have to call a lot of audibles at the line.

I respect how you keep your family private, but I am curious to know how Jaden is hitting the ball, and does Jaz have a baby pair of Nikes?
Jaden loves hitting balls, just loves it. He's hit two balls over the net from the baseline. And Jaz, she's just learning how to smile every day.

You've really been there for a lot of kids in Las Vegas with the great works of your foundation.
When we started the foundation we wanted to raise $10 million dollars in an endowment fund so that we could have a million dollars go back into the community every year forever. And we achieved that within just two years.

Just a couple more questions. If the sports book was taking money today on John McEnroe versus Serena Williams, where would you lay your money?
I don't bet on tennis. But I'd pay good money to see that match.

If you were granted one hour to go back in time, where and when would you go and what would you do?
I would go back about 2000 years and visit the little town of Bethlehem to meet the man.

Words to live by?
Always try to get a day better. Never try to get two days better. And never accept not getting at least one day better.