WIMBLEDON, England, June 24 -- In his early days as the shaggy-haired, Day-Glo rebel of tennis, Andre Agassi spurned Wimbledon, skipping the sport's most prestigious tournament three years running largely because he felt its predominantly white dress code cramped his renegade style.
On Saturday, a 36-year-old Agassi chose the same tournament's storied grounds, which he has long since come to revere, having won his first major title there in 1992, to announce that he'll retire after this year's U.S. Open -- a decision that makes this Wimbledon fortnight his last.
"This is where it all started for me -- my dreams," Agassi said during a news conference at the All England club two days before Wimbledon begins. "It really started here."
Agassi said he had been mulling retirement for the past few months while he worked through a chronic back injury and other ailments in the season's early-going, suffering more setbacks than strides. He insisted that there is "still a lot of fight left in me," as he proved nine months ago with his stirring run to the U.S. Open final, where he lost to world No. 1 Roger Federer in four sets. But he has come to grips with his career's end and has crafted a plan to channel what talent and energy remain into one more Wimbledon, the tournament closest to his heart, and a final campaign at the U.S. Open, the tournament he considers his home.
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