[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 11920]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                              ANDRE AGASSI

 Mr. BRYAN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the 
historic event that took place this past weekend in Paris when Las 
Vegas's own Andre Agassi captured the 1999 French Open Championship. 
Andre's completion of the career Grand Slam secures him a place in 
tennis history that only five other men can claim, and as a testament 
to his versality, he is the only person to accomplish this feat on 
three different surfaces--hardcourt, grass, and clay. He is the first 
American in 61 years to win all four majors--Wimbledom in 1992, the 
U.S. Open in 1994, the Australian Open in 1995, and now the French--and 
his victory will soon catapult him to No. 4 in the world rankings.
  As great as Andre's accomplishments have been on the court throughout 
his career, they are, in my opinion, overshadowed by the generosity and 
compassion he has shown off the court. Andre's commitment to at-risk 
and underprivileged youth has been a passion of his throughout his 
tennis career. His establishment of the Andre Agassi Foundation in 1994 
to support and fund programs that serve underprivileged kids has 
provided much needed assistance to a variety of service organizations 
that work with children in the Las Vegas area, including the Boys & 
Girls Clubs in Las Vegas, the Assistance League of Las Vegas, and Child 
Haven. Since its inception, the Agassi Foundation has donated over $5 
million to local youth charities.
  In today's world of professional sports, it is always refreshing to 
see an athlete who recognizes the blessings and opportunities he has 
received, and has chosen to give something back to his community. In 
spite of a tennis career that has had its ups and downs, Andre has 
always had a steady hand when it comes to helping underprivileged 
children. Andre Agassi is the epitome of what a professional athlete 
should be, and I ask my colleagues to join me in commending him for 
making tennis history and for all of his charitable endeavors that mean 
so much to the Las Vegas community.

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