An end of an era was heralded when American tennis legend Andre Agassi announced his retirement amid ringing praise from those involved in the sport. One of only five men to have won all Grand Slam titles - and the sole winner on essentially four different surfaces - Agassi's achievement will go down indelibly into the history books.
The 36-year-old decided to quit because he feels he is nearing the point where his body will be unable to withstand the strain of performing to his own exacting standards.
He revealed that he had made up his mind to retire several months ago but had delayed making his decision public because he wanted to make the announcement at Wimbledon, where he claimed his first Grand Slam title in 1992.
Fellow professions had nothing but praise for him. Former Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt said: "He'll go down as one of the guys who changed our sport in a lot of ways. Not only the way he played the game, but also the way that he conducted himself on and off the court. " "There's not too many more recognisable people in tennis. The sport probably owes a lot to him." American Andy Roddick added his comments too, saying: