tuesday morning Archives - World Tennis Magazine

Andre Agassi used crystal meth in 1997 and will describe the experience in his forthcoming autobiography, according to a publicist at Knopf, which is publishing the book on Nov. 9.

The admission will also appear in excerpts of the book – entitled “Open” – (ORDER IT NOW RIGHT HERE) that are scheduled to appear in two magazines, Sports Illustrated and People, later this week.

“Those excerpts contain revelations about Andre’s use of crystal meth when he was a tennis player,” said Paul Bogaards, director of media relations at Knopf, a division of Random House.

The Australian newspaper in Australia excerpts the book and Agassi’s positive ATP Tour drug test and how he escaped a three-month suspension here – http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,24897,26271190-601,00.html

The information was first made public on Tuesday morning via the Twitter feed of Richard Deitsch, a writer for Sports Illustrated.

“FYI: There’s an off-the-charts book excerpt from Andre Agassi in the forthcoming SI: He admits to taking crystal meth during his career,” said the message, posted at 10:36 a.m. and apparently removed shortly thereafter.

One of the most beloved players in the annals of the U.S. Open, Agassi retired in 2006 after 20 years in professional tennis, having won eight Grand Slam championships, 60 singles titles, and a total of $31 million. His career record was 870-274. The year 1997, however, was a low point in Agassi’s career, when a wrist injury sidelined him for much of the season and his world ranking slipped to 141.

Agassi, 39, often made news for his brash style and high-profile romantic relationships. He is married to tennis great Steffi Graf, and they have two children. He is also an acclaimed philanthropist whose school in Las Vegas for underprivileged kids has become a national model.

In writing the book, Agassi worked closely with Pulitzer Prize-winning writer J.R. Moehringer, author of “The Tender Bar.”

Just 15 months after they were married, golf star Greg Norman and tennis star Chris Evert announced they have separated.

The announcement Friday comes three days before Norman is to captain the International team at the Presidents Cup in San Francisco, where wives of the captains take on a visible role.

Norman and Evert, each in the Hall of Fame in their respective sports, did not say whether they planned to divorce.

In a statement, the couple said only, “We will remain friends and supportive of one another’s family.” The statement said they requested privacy for them and their families.

Norman’s spokesman, Bart Collins, said the two-time British Open champion would not comment beyond the statement. Norman’s first press conference at the Presidents Cup is Tuesday morning at Harding Park.

They were married June 28, 2008, in The Bahamas. A month later, while still on their honeymoon, Norman was nine holes away from becoming golf’s oldest major champion at 53 when he led the British Open. He eventually tied for third at Royal Birkdale.

Norman was coming off an ugly divorce from Laura Andrassy, the mother of his two children, which ended in a settlement that paid her just over $100 million. Evert was married twice previously, most recently to Olympic downhill skier Andy Mill, with whom she had three children. They were divorced in December 2006.

The timing of the announcement was in part to prevent speculation on Evert’s absence at the Presidents Cup, matches between the United States and an International team of countries from every continent but Europe.

Norman had arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder Wednesday, and announced his field for the Shark Shootout on Friday.