Andre Agassi confesses to using recreational drug

Oct 28 (Reuters) - Former tennis champion Andre Agassi, 39, an eight-times grand slam winner, has admitted in a new autobiography that he used the recreational drug crystal meth in 1997 when his career was floundering.

Here are some details on life and career of Andre Agassi:

* CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

— He had a mass of unkempt long blond hair and a penchant for outlandish outfits and played his first professional match in California in Feb. 1986. He won his first title as a wildcard in Itaparica the next year. In 1988, he won six titles in seven finals and reached French and U.S. Open semi-finals.

— In 1992 he won his first grand slam at Wimbledon by defeating Goran Ivanisevic in five sets. He also won titles in Atlanta and Toronto.

— He underwent wrist surgery in 1994 and went on to capture five titles, including his first U.S. Open trophy.

— The next year he won a career-high seven titles in a season, including the first Australian Open crown.

* A DOWNTURN:

— In 1997 he married U.S. actress Brooke Shields and he suffered a dip in form. His ranking plummeted to 141.

* A SWIFT REVIVAL

— However, he made the biggest one-year jump into the top 10 in the history of ATP rankings (since 1973) by climbing from 122 previous year to number six in 1998. He went on to win five titles from 10 final appearances.

— The next year, 1999, he ended the year ranked number one for the first time in his career after winning five titles, including French and U.S. Opens. He became the fifth man — after Don Budge, Rod Laver, Fred Perry and Roy Emerson—to win all four grand slam titles in his career. He earned a career-high of $4,269,265 in prize money in 1999. Australian Open titles in 2000 and 2001 followed.

— In May 2003, at 33 he became the oldest man to hold the top ranking. The next month, he played his 1,000th professional match, a 7-6 6-4 win over Australia’s Peter Luczak at the Stella Artois Championships. His 60th singles title came in Los Angeles in 2005.

— On Sept. 3 2006, Agassi’s glittering career came to a tearful conclusion when he lost in four sets to German qualifier Benjamin Becker in the U.S. Open third round. Agassi had been struggling with a chronic back injury that severely limited his mobility and at times yelped from the pain.

* LIFE DETAILS:

— Agassi was born April 29, 1970 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

— He married actress Brooke Shields in April 1997, however after two years, the marriage fell apart and they divorced.

— He married former women’s number one Steffi Graf in Oct. 2001 days before the birth of their son Jaden Gil. A daughter, Jaz Elle was born in October 2003.

— Last August at the start of the U.S. Open, Agassi was given a rousing ovation as one of four athletes saluted on centre court as part of a celebration of the community work done by them. In 1994, he had started the Andre Agassi Foundation dedicated to improving public education in Las Vegas. (Writing by David Cutler, London Editorial Reference Unit)