Agassi to retire after US Open

LONDON, June 24 (Reuters) Andre Agassi announced his retirement today and said he would play his final tennis match at the US Open which starts in August.

The 36-year-old American, one of only five men to win all four grand slam titles in their career, said he planned to compete at Wimbledon and two other tournaments before the U.S.

Open which begins in New York on Aug 28.

''This Wimbledon will be my last and the US Open will be my last tournament,'' Agassi told a news conference at the All England Club two days before the start of the grasscourt grand slam.

Agassi, who has been struggling with a chronic back problem, won the first of his eight grand slam singles titles at Wimbledon in 1992 when he beat Croatian Goran Ivanisevic in five sets in the final.

The former world number one has barely played since his defeat by Roger Federer in the US Open final last September because of injury and missed the entire claycourt season in order to get fit for Wimbledon.

''It's been a lot of sacrifices the last few months trying to get myself right to come back here and enjoy this tournament for the last time,'' he said.

Agassi, who is married to former German tennis player Steffi Graf and has two young children, said he had made his decision to retire several months ago.

''This is where it all started for me, my dreams. We waited until now to say something as it is only right that I say it at the place it all started,'' he added. ''It's like it was yesterday.'' NADAL SHOWDOWN? Agassi plays Serbian Boris Pashanski in the Wimbledon first round next week in what will be his final match at the grasscourt grand slam if he loses.

He could face double French Open champion Rafael Nadal in the third round.

However, the Las Vegan is desperately short of match practice and lost in the first round of the pre-Wimbledon Queen's Club event to Briton Tim Henman.

One of tennis most flamboyant personalities, Agassi has won the Australian Open four times, the US Open twice and Wimbledon and the French Open once each.

Agassi's victory over Ukrainian Andrei Medvedev in the 1999 French Open final made him only the fifth man in history to win a career Grand Slam of all four major tennis tournaments, joining Don Budge, Rod Laver, Fred Perry and Roy Emerson.

REUTERS DH RK2025