André Agassi He is a popular and well-known name in the tennis community. Even though he retired almost 15 years ago, new age tennis fans also know a thing or two about him. The American has won eight singles titles and is among the few players to complete the Career Slam.
Despite being such a popular figure in the sports world, not many know the story behind his name. Andre Agassi’s father, Emmanuel Mike Agassi, was an Iranian-born Armenian who represented Iran in Boxing at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics. Originally their family name was Aghassian and had been left by their ancestors generations ago to avoid persecution by the Ottomans.
The word ‘Agha’ in the family name means an honorific and is referred to as Lord or Master.
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Why did Andre Agassi change his name?
Andre Agassi was introduced to the sport by his father, Emmanuel Mike Agassi, who was determined to make one of his children a world-class tennis player. His father changed his name to Mike Agassi after he settled in the United States in the 1950s.
Andre Agassi was born and raised in Las Vegas. The ‘Agassi’ family name is quite rare in the US and as previously mentioned, not many tennis fans are aware of the backdrop behind it.
The full name of the American legend is ‘Andre Kirk Agassi’ given by his father. Interestingly, his father named him after his bosses at the casino, which still surprises Andre Agassi. When asked the same thing in an earlier interview, Agassi aforementioned“My father named me Andre Kirk Agassi after his bosses at the casino. I ask my mother why my father named me after their boss. Were they friends? Did he admire them? Did he owe them money? He does not know. And that’s not the kind of question you can ask my father directly. You can’t ask my father for anything directly.”
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