Leave it to Andre Agassi to create the tennis story of the year.
In an London Times excerpt of his forthcoming biography “Open”, Agassi reveals that he used the illegal drug back in 1997 during his then dismal playing days. The excerpt goes on to reveal that Agassi ended up failing a drug test by the ATP a few months later.
Fearing for his career, Agassi wrote a letter to the ATP “filled with lies interwoven with bits of truth” claiming that his assistant at the time had spiked Agassi’s drink with the drugs and Agassi did not know. The truth was Agassi’s assistant offered him the drug outright.
The ATP believed Agassi and threw out the drug test result.
Now WADA, the World Anti Doping Agency, responsible for all athletics, wants to know why the ATP threw out the case.
It’s not clear now if either the ATP or WADA will pursue the matter as, let’s face it, it’s all a mute point now. Agassi, more than Pete Sampras and the Williams sisters, continues to be tennis’s most recognizable face to those who don’t follow the sport on a daily basis and his current image as the sport’s ambassador could endure some tarnishing. How the sports media treat this, especially with the daily trials of pro baseball and football getting busted for various drug use, will also be interesting to follow.
What do you think?
Adjusting the Net 