Federer, Nadal upset at Agassi drug taking

Oct 29, 7:17 pm EDT

* Nadal and Federer upset by claims

* Roddick supports his hero

(adds Nadal, Federer statements)

By Simon Evans

MIAMI, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal both voiced their displeasure at Andre Agassi after the former world number one revealed he took the recreational drug crystal meth in 1997 and lied about the reasons for a positive test.

“To me it seems terrible,” world number two Nadal said at an awards ceremony in Madrid on Thursday. “Why is he saying this now that he has retired?

“It’s a way of damaging the sport that makes no sense.

“I believe our sport is clean and I am the first one that wants that.

“Cheaters must be punished and if Agassi was a cheater during his career he should have been punished.”

World number one Roger Federer, who beat Agassi in the final of the 2005 U.S. Open, also spoke of his sadness at the eight times major winner’s admission in his new autobiography “Open”.

“It was a shock when I heard the news.” Federer said at a sponsors meeting at Kilchberg near Zurich.

“I am disappointed and I hope there are no more such cases in future…. our sport must stay clean.”

AMERICAN DEFENCE

However Agassi found support at home with fellow American and Wimbledon finalist Andy Roddick saying the 39-year-old remained his hero despite the revelations.

Roddick, the leading U.S men’s player who lost to Federer in this year’s Wimbledon final, was one of many compatriots who remained unfazed by Agassi’s admissions.

“Andre is and always will be my idol. I will judge him on how he has treated me and how he has changed the world for (the) better,” Roddick wrote on his Twitter page.

Roddick said Agassi’s letter to the ATP, in which he told the governing body he had failed a drugs test because his drink had been spiked, came at a time when the player was far from his peak.

“To be fair, when Andre wrote the reported letter, he was well outside the top 100 and widely viewed as on the way out,” said Roddick.

BOOK COMING OUT

Women’s world number two Serena Williams reacted to the news by plugging her own book.

“I don’t even know what crystal meth is so, you know, that’s what my reaction to it is. I haven’t read anything about Andre Agassi’s book. All I know is that I have a book coming out,” she told reporters at the WTA Championships in Doha.

Serena’s sister Venus, the world number seven, added: “His book will probably sell. It seems very interesting, to say the least.”

U.S media has been restrained in its response to Agassi’s admissions, which have appeared in excerpts from the book.

The New York Times noted Agassi was able to bounce back from his dark spell and enjoy a successful end to his career.

“The question is: Might it all have turned out differently without Agassi’s reprieve from the doping panel, without his lie?” it asked referring to the five majors he won after 1997.

However, CBS columnist Ray Ratto questioned the motive behind Agassi’s revelations.

“We’re not here to kick a guy now that he’s back up, although in fairness we’ve always found honesty to be more refreshing when it doesn’t come at $31.99 a copy.”

(Additional reporting by Patrick Johnston in London and Iain Rogers in Madrid)

Updated Oct 29, 7:17 pm EDT

Tennis

101 Comments

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101. Posted by E Wed Nov 11 4:37pm EST
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you people can be so ignorant and shallow. and you can't see how that's YOUR addiction. hypocrites!
100. Posted by gil g Thu Nov 5 5:28am EST
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I still have a problem about Andre's revelations.

From what it seems, the hit was confined to a single match, or maybe a few matches when his game was falling apart. But he deceived the tour and the public then. Is he trying to deceive us again with this biography? He seems to be coming clean. Is he?
99. Posted by kwelemi Mon Nov 2 5:09pm EST
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i wish people will read through my msg and know that i knew Agassi wasnt clean i have never liked him and thank Goodness he has open up now , tell me will he stand to comment or advise other sport men and women even kids? please he better seat and be in tears till he dies , rubbish
98. Posted by Master Controller Sat Oct 31 10:50am EDT
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Very good point borderless, I commend your insightful comments regarding Agassi's drug use. however, I would not be surprised if he still uses. On another point, Agassi's motivation is to sell books, not come clean with his maker. Like most coddled tennis players, he is probably not well educated and too self-centered for deep and thoughtful introspection that might lead him on a more honest path toward salvation. I very seriously doubt he is religious. The most humorous revelation for me was his fear of baldness and wearing a hairpiece at the French Open. I always thought of him as a vain person - image is everything, right? Look, he is only human, so I can forgive him his sins, but at some point he needs to grow up. This book makes me think he is more interested in the spotlight than quietly living with his family in the afterglow of his now tainted tennis career.
97. Posted by tempest0201 Fri Oct 30 11:39pm EDT
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Clear as mud, post 96. Your reasoning and analogies are just plain awful. And you can knock it off with the whole Bible beater crap too. It doesn't fit in with the dialogue.
96. Posted by borderless Fri Oct 30 7:58pm EDT
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To anon. Is the real world only drug induced? You make some good comments about various persons and players taking drugs, so keep things in perspective. But, I did follow abstinence till marriage, so now am I self-righteous because I did and are you now "stupid" like certain persons you say are? If when I was a kid I decide to not kill someone, then when I become an adult do, can I now laugh it off? That is your warped reasoning. So a few players have lost your respect. I am sure they will get over it. You basically have proven here, when you were a kid, you knew more than you know now, concerning "right and wrong." "Unless you become as little children, you can not enter the kingdom of God."
95. Posted by anon Fri Oct 30 7:26pm EDT
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A hell of a lot of big players in the past have done drugs, I assure you. We all know Borg and McEnroe did coke. I'm sure bad boy Connors did too. Navratilova is no saint herself, I'm sure she was experimenting in all kinds of ways. I'm sure some of those classic players from the 60's were doing LSD. President Obama did drugs, so did President Bush and Clinton. MOST famous people have done drugs, and almost everyone who isn't famous has either done drugs or screwed up in some other, perhaps bigger way, in their lives. Most of them never fess up to it. The ones that do often do so because they were forced to. Agassi did because he felt it was the right thing to do if you're writing an autobiography.

I can understand why kids would be upset at Agassi for this. They haven't lived in the real world yet. I remember when I was a kid and they taught us about abstinence before marriage, I thought it was such an easy, obvious thing, and I was going to do it. Then I grew up and now I laugh at that. But I can't understand how grown adults would be upset at Agassi. The only explanation is that they are stupid. Sorry Rog, Rafa, and Martina. You're just plain stupid. Not surprising since none of you are educated. Federer did say good things about Agassi, so I still have respect for him. But I've lost respect for Nadal and I have zero respect for Martina.
94. Posted by Michael Fri Oct 30 6:56pm EDT
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by revailing his drug use and knowing that this will taint his legend, he's come a full circle with his successes and failures. He's at peace with who he is, his accomplishments and struggles. I think fans liked watching him play not because he was a top player, but because he showed that he's a human being just like us and he showed how he struggled to win. To me this makes his successful comeback much more intriging and compelling, know what he had gone through to come to that point.
93. Posted by AM Q. Fri Oct 30 6:39pm EDT
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Well... i think he shouldn't have told it to anyone anyways!! its like getting his book sold!! i don't like Serena's reaction. sometimes she is totally self centered!!
92. Posted by tempest0201 Fri Oct 30 6:01pm EDT
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DAMN IT!!! I just read a different article and it says that Agassi admits to using crystal meth periodically for a year or so. Huge difference from just using it in 1997 when his career was in shambles. Does anyone know exactly when his game started coming together again? He's starting to dig himself a hole. Hope he's able to get himself out of it and still come out with his dignity intact. I didn't turn into an Agassi fan until the latter part of his career and wish him the best when all this is done.
91. Posted by s Fri Oct 30 5:51pm EDT
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Cannot stand Agassi. Never have and probably never will but look at the hypacrits. Baseball players are ripped on for not coming out with the truth and now Agassi does and he is ripped on. Do you want the truth or not? Martina just made an ass of herself and I have always been a fan of hers.
90. Posted by dashaw1183@... Fri Oct 30 5:50pm EDT
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So what if Agassi used meth - he's probably not the only in tennis that has done that. BUT he turned his life around and doing so much better. He had the courage to admit using meth.He is the best, I have supported him from the beginning and I still support him. I rather see him play tennis than the Federer's, Samprass, etc. So lay off. His life is better now and he seems happy. a
89. Posted by Robin M Fri Oct 30 5:44pm EDT
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Andre was young just like everybody else, Big Deal, He will always be a Champ to me. Look at all the Wonderful things he does. I think he's just being honest, thats more then you can say for a lot of the other ones. He will always be a stand up guy to me.
88. Posted by kerwin1960 Fri Oct 30 4:28pm EDT
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Interesting that this has become a forum for drugs (pro recreational & con athletic). The issue of telling the truth and manning up when you get caught seems to be beside the point. Glad Andre has a conscious and I expect more pros other than Roger & Rafa (who are subjected to possible drug testing on any given day, not just during tournaments since they are in the top 50) will be voicing their displeasure at Andre too. But what do those guys know about tennis, unlike my fellow geniuses on this post?

Say what you will about Andre, he'll be selling a ton of books and note that Roddick (another big-time philanthropist) has Andre's back...
87. Posted by Ty-Lisha R Fri Oct 30 3:52pm EDT
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This is really bad news to hear about the "meth" but sometimes you always take that path to explore but then you wake up and realized that it was no good. It is not right for us to judge. I respect him for showing his talent to the world. Don't Hate! He gave us great matches!!!!
86. Posted by jimmy.lemongrass Fri Oct 30 3:48pm EDT
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Ok, aside from his back problems, which forced him to end his career, did anyone else find his fitness levels in his early-mid 30's to be a little suspicious? I have always thought he used some kind of performance enhancing drugs.

His stamina was much better than most of the opponents he was playing who were usually 10+ years younger. Even more surprising was his ability to completely recover from tough 5 set matches, and play with fresh legs less than 48 hours later.

Even before his admission to using Crystal Meth, I was always suspicious of his somehow impeccable fitness levels. He always attributed his great physical fitness to his trainer Gil Reyes, whose own physique, resembles that of a stoner who has spent too much time on the couch eating nachos. With his seedy Las Vegas background and competitive personality, I would be shocked if he actually didn't use performance enhanching drugs.

No, Crystal Meth is not a performance enhancer. In fact, it would be more of a performance hindering drug. That is why, as Roddick points out, his ranking was so low in 1997. But, my personal opinion is that a person who is willing to roll the dice, and experiment with a drug like Crystal Meth, ALSO would have no problem using steroids, or a drug like EPO (which was undetectable by drug testing during most of Agassi's career).

I like that he's involved in charity. I've also liked that he's politically liberal (as am I), but I've always been a bit suspicious of that Las Vegas native.
85. Posted by tempest0201 Fri Oct 30 3:24pm EDT
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Post #78, iknowyouknow. Okay, Agassi is a liar...check! No honor (since he's not a Klingon, or is he?)...check! Other than that, I'm surel you have something more besides he looks like a pigyou and you're sick of his stoopid commercials for his school. Spending millions for charity so people would look the other way when this whole meth thing broke out? What a guy this Agassi is to throw millions of $$$ to charity just so people would ignore his drug use. Uh-huh!
84. Posted by jeezee10 Fri Oct 30 2:40pm EDT
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Many ask and wonder why Andre disclosed his drug use and risked his reputation. Some use the word "atonement" Some bigots with the "holier than thou" posturing are excoriating him.
Andre came out for a simple reason. He is showing the world the difficult path to the top, the stress which accompany the drive. He showed that he is human and succumbed to the stress and take the "recreational" drug.
But he had the will to stop. He could have become a junkie. He instead remade his life, went to work with Gil Reyes, and climbed his way to the top again.
That is the moral of his revelation. The lesson he wants to impart. Stay away from drugs. Live with the stress and difficulty.
How many celebrities in the entertainment and sport world became victims of drug? Andre didn't want to be added to that statistics. We should be happy for that.
83. Posted by tempest0201 Fri Oct 30 2:39pm EDT
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Wow! This is good. Lots of posts that make good points and arguments both for and against what Andre did. For those on the pro side, although I do agree that he's only human and he was really going through some bad patches in that juncture of his life and should be forgiven, I can't help but think in the back of my mind that aren't we being selective about who should and shouldn't be forgiven for his/her indiscretion(s)? Maybe some of us, because of our admiration for his achievements and humanitarian efforts, are quick to forgive because of who he is?
82. Posted by Roger Fri Oct 30 2:23pm EDT
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Lets put this in perspective. Here we have one of the most famous athletes of the past fifty years, regardless of the sport. His indulgence to fame was brought on by himself. He was brash, creative, annoying, arrogant, exciting, humorous and entertaining. Whatever he was to you, thats all he was to any of us. We dont know his personal life and he doesnt know ours. If we were to write a book and pick out our own worst mistakes and know that the world will know about this one mistake for the rest of our lives, would you let it be printed? This man is human. He chose to talk about a mistake and how it possibly changed the sport of tennis for good. There are DOZENS, maybe HUNDREDS, in all sports, who do drugs right NOW. In the past, lets us the 70's as an example, is stereotyped as the period when "everyone" was doing drugs, so its OK. But God forbid if someone comes clean about a drug mistake they made in the 1990's....This guy is not just any normal human. He became one of the best in the sport of tennis, of all time. He was spared, by covering up a mistake. Some call this lucky, some can call this grace from God....Whatever you call it, it takes character to show character and be willing to accept the consequences. Agassi has no explaining to do. He turned his life around. That should be the focal point, if ever. We have all been depressed, fatigued, alone etc. This guy was "on top of the sports WORLD" for a few years. He had an understanding of how great he was and important he was to the sport and to the fans and his growing legacy. He had a great surrounding group of people that helped him from the pit of despair to rise up again and become a champion once again. Everyone has pitfalls. This one is no different than the guy or girl living around the corner from you. The only difference is the name and how we see him. We love to judge until we ourselves our judged.
81. Posted by tempest0201 Fri Oct 30 2:20pm EDT
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Post #68, Tan J: OH MY GOD!!! What in the world are you talking about? Do you know what's considered the majors in tennis and how many there are? Doubt anybody can win 5 of them in a calendar year. Do you know what Agassi's ranking was in 1997? From what I understand, the penalty for drug use back then was a 2-month ban from playing. I doubt it would have made much of a difference for Agassi to have been banned for 2 months since he was playing and losing in the challenger circuit.

On a different note, I really could care less what Roger or Rafa said. Especially Rafa's comments on this article. He makes it sound like the use of CM is performance enhancing. Either that or he was referring to cheating in another way. Maybe cheating by lying about his drug use? I'm more curious what the likes of Steffi Graf, Pete Sampras, Jim Courier, Pat Rafter, and company, that is, his contemporaries, has to say.
80. Posted by my heart Fri Oct 30 2:01pm EDT
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It is heart-rending to hear these admissions from a man whom I admire. On the other hand, it shows that Agassi is still human after all. He made mistakes in decision-making but he acknowledge them all with a sincere heart. And when a human being realize such errors and ask for forgiveness, then we have no opton but to forgive. After all, we too commit a lot of errors in some form or another. If there is a person here who would say he has not made a mistake in his entire life, then he or she is guilty also of the crime they accuse Agassi of - a hypocrite and a liar!

All human beings are imperfect!
79. Posted by Anne P Fri Oct 30 12:56pm EDT
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Obviously Andre made some bad choices in his lifelike countless other young people of his generation. As has been show, many of our atheletic hero's, politicians, actors ect. have human failings....the operative word is human! Did he write this book for monetary purposes? I don't know for sure,as none of the rest of you do, However I do know that is not hurting for money. He and his wife donate more to various charities than most of us make in ten years work. That being said, he did not benifit in his performances, this drug could be more crippling mentally, but felt the need to c0nfess. Did he have to? No, he stood to lose his reputation and legacy. He wasn't exposed as many others were,. he outed himself. As for his being a brat, according to some, yes he was. However all you Federer fans know that he was a prima dona as a young man and regularly abused his coaches ,parents and raquets. The same can be said of Johnny Mac but they all grew up. We might be surprised that there were a lot more idols with feet of claywho were never caught and would never admit to their indiscretions. So lets jump on the crucify Andre band wagon for having the" tennis balls" to come clean . By the way I'm not American, so there goes the argument that I might be biased.
78. Posted by iknowyouknow Fri Oct 30 12:48pm EDT
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More than anything else, it shows Agassi is a liar, and that he lied to stay in the game. BTW, I also think he looks like a pigme and I am sick of his stupid commercials for his school. Maybe that why he is so into charity, so that we would look the other way on this revelation. I frankly don't care about the drug use. Everyone was taking something in the 70's and the sport thrived. I care that he lied to the officials. Shows complete lack of honor.
77. Posted by Laverne R Fri Oct 30 12:46pm EDT
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We all have black horses in our closets. Only a matter of time before the darn horse kicks the door down and runs off into the abyss. Andre's pass has no bearing on his present and future. What he did was not right , however who he is today is amazing. He is a wonderful loving father and husband. He has a school that helps kids of less than noble birth to have an education and better their lives. I would say , he has redeemed himself and is a human being that will go down in history as a humanitarian. It takes courage to say to the public, all was not always well. Lets be forgiving and leave the judgment out. I would probably take meth if I had the type of schedule that these athletes have. Keep moving forward Andre.

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