Andre Agassi and wife Steffi Graf arrive at the 11th annual Grand Slam for Children benefit Oct. 7 at the MGM Grand Garden. Photo by Jane Kalinowsky.
NEW YORK -- The memoir of tennis sensation, gossip column favorite and philanthropist Andre Agassi, a book strongly desired by numerous publishers, has been acquired by Alfred A. Knopf.
Financial terms were not disclosed Wednesday, although bidding reportedly topped $5 million as publishers flew out to see Agassi in Las Vegas, touring his Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy and then meeting with him at his office.
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David Hirshey, senior vice president and executive editor at HarperCollins, one of the publishers that competed for the book, said the deal was more in line with what a former U.S. president would get.
"This is White House money," Hirshey said. "I can't remember the last time a sports figure got more than two million."
The 36-year-old Agassi, one of the greatest players of his generation, retired after last fall's U.S. Open.
His book is not yet titled and no release date has been set.
"I recently had the privilege of meeting with top executives and editors from eight publishing houses," Agassi said in a statement released Wednesday by Knopf. "Everyone was very impressive, but in the end, I felt the strongest connection with (Knopf head) Sonny Mehta and his colleagues at Knopf."
"Andre Agassi is one of the world's most popular and admired figures," Mehta said in a statement. "He has lived an extraordinary life, and he has a great story to tell -- an inspiring story of determination, competition, and what it takes to become one of the greatest athletes of our time. Additionally, he is someone who has chosen to use his success as an instrument for change in the world."
In his early years on the tour, Agassi was known for his tennis, togs and 'tude, especially for his brief marriage to Brooke Shields, his friendship with Barbra Streisand and his "Image Is Everything" ad campaign, a slogan from which he later distanced himself.
