Andre Agassi in Drug-Taking Confession

In an autobiography due to hit the shops in November American tennis idol Andre Agassi, the winner of eight Grand Slam singles titles and an Olympic gold medal, has confessed to having taken the drug crystal meth.

What makes Agassi's confession, in the book titled Open, which Tennis-X confirms will be available on bookshelves from November 9, even more startling is the fact that he tested positive for the drug, only to then successfully convince the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) that he had taken it accidentally. And by lying about how the crystal meth came to be in his system Agassi, 39 and married to another former tennis star Steffi Graf, with whom he has a son and a daughter, was able to escape a ban from the sport which brought him fame and fortune but which he now claims he secretly hated playing. Agassi's book, in which he also confesses to a fear of his allegedly bad tempered and violent father, is being serialized in the London Times on Wednesday and Thursday. Readers of the paper will learn how, in 1997, worried about his form and his upcoming wedding to the actress Brooke Shields, the couple divorced in 1999, Agassi found some kind of solace in the drug crystal meth. Agassi explains that he was introduced to the drug by his assistant, who he identifies only as Slim, and goes on to describe the euphoria he felt after first snorting the drug, possession of which can lead to a jail sentence of five years in the U.S. Apparently that euphoria led Agassi to rush around cleaning his house from top to bottom. However, come the Fall of 1997, Agassi received a phone call from a doctor with the ATP who informed him that he has failed a drugs test and could be facing a three-month suspension from the game of tennis. Knowing just what was at stake - especially his reputation and his career - Agassi decided to compose a letter to the ATP which he says was "filled with lies interwoven with bits of truth". Slim was to be the fall guy and Agassi elaborates on what happened next in his book:

I say Slim, whom I’ve since fired, is a known drug user, and that he often spikes his sodas with meth — which is true. Then I come to the central lie of the letter. I say that recently I drank accidentally from one of Slim’s spiked sodas, unwittingly ingesting his drugs. I ask for understanding and leniency and hastily sign it: Sincerely.

I feel ashamed, of course. I promise myself that this lie is the end of it

Fortunately for Agassi the ATP believed his story and threw the case against him out. It is unclear how the public will react to the revelation from Agassi, who retired from tennis in 2006 and will be undertaking a series of book-signings in the U.S. next month. Or, observes the London Times, what other repercussions there may be for a man who was both a popular player during his career and a highly-rated one. .