Agassi

Washington: Andre Agassi says he is ready to reclaim his life after two decades on the tour. The 36-year-old Las Vegas native is set to wave good-bye to tennis after this month’s US Open.

“I look forward to not having to do things, like waking up everyday and saying, ‘OK, what do I have to do today?’ because of my schedule,” Agassi said, speaking to reporters in a wide-ranging news conference on Monday.

“It’s going to be a bit more on my terms, which is what I want my life to look like,” said Agassi, here to play in the $600,000 ATP Washington Classic.

Agassi, said he is ready for life’s next chapter.

“The last 20 years on the tennis court has all been practice for me for tomorrow,” he said. “I’ve spent a lifetime on the tennis court preparing myself for the next battle.

“I feel like I have over 20 years experience dealing with this very thing, the challenges of how life now may look for me. I look forward to embracing that as much as I have embraced any stage of my career.”

Agassi, married to former tennis great Steffi Graf, said he looks forward to “not having to rest” and spending more time with his five-year-old son, Jaden Gil, and three-year-old daughter, Jaz Elle.

“There are times where you have to rest,” he said. “Try to swing that by a three-year-old and a five-year-old. They’re just not buying it. And why should they?”

Agassi, one of only five male players to have won a career Grand Slam and currently ranked No. 22 in the world, conceded leaving the game will be difficult.

“This has been my life,” he said. “It hasn’t been about hitting the ball, it’s about being part of a great sport, a lot of great people.

“It’s not just saying good-bye to the sport, to a business, to hitting a tennis ball. It’s saying good-bye to all the people you’ve done this with, from the fans to the sport itself to your peers.”

“You’ve lived something on so many different levels and to walk away from that, I don’t take that lightly at all.”

Agassi said despite his well-publicised last round on the summer circuit, he has not skipped a beat in his training for the two-week US Open, which begins August 28. He drilled on Monday in weather reaching 100 degrees (38 Celsius).

“I’m not preparing for the Open any differently,” said Agassi, who will be a crowd favourite at the New York tournament.