Andre Agassi Announces Retirement at Wimbledon

With rain drowning out all of Monday's matches at the All England Tennis Club, the biggest news of the tournament is still the retirement announcement of Andre Agassi. Agassi unsteadily announced last Saturday that this will be his last Wimbledon, and will go on to retire after the US Open.

Reactions around the tennis world are predictably respectful, as Agassi's resume boasts 60 career singles titles, 8 grand slam titles, and over 31 million in prize money.

Andy Roddick, who's still hoping to find his mojo and return to the top of the tennis world, regards Agassi as a mentor and tennis' most marketable personality.

"He's probably the biggest crossover star sports has had, with the effect he has had on the game, and off the court, with kids who really don't even know he played tennis," said Andy Roddick, who grew up watching Agassi's matches on TV and then looked to him for advice on tour.

"When I was first coming up, the way he was a mentor, he really helped me," Roddick said.

Agassi's first round match is scheduled for Tuesday against the relatively unknown but impressively named Boris Pashanski of Serbia and Montenegro. Agassi, seeded 25th, will enter his 13th Wimbledon tournament sporting a 44-13 record with one title in 1992 .

Photo: flickr user binkygirl