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Andre Agassi, world reknowned tennis player, delighted tennis fans for years with his base line antics. He was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, but not from the card flopping, one armed bandit and casino buffets side of town. More the quiet small town of close-knit neighbourhoods - the side that taught him anything is possible.
He once blazed across the court in day-glo clothing and long hair, wowing crowds with his unique base line game. But Agassi has always been a down-to-earth guy, and now resides in Las Vegas with his two children by wife Steffi Graf, also a tennis star of yesterday. Although he still travels to many tennis tournaments, he has made sure to leave a legacy to his hometown: the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy takes in and educates some two hundred and fifty students every year, while Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation has raised more than 35 million dollars for chairty, mainly children's charities. Here's a weekend in the city where Andre Agassi learned to win.
There's a lot of activity going on in downtown Vegas, even though most people think of ‘the Strip' when they think of Vegas. "When you go downtown you find yourself somewhere where you can park your car and have that old feeling of just stepping two feet off the street into a casino that basically has no doors", says Agassi, adding almost as an afterthought "…and the lights are incredible."
Agassi also part owns the Golden Nugget casino. "I'm involved with some friends that I grew up with, which is exciting", says Andre. "I'm second generation here [and the] people I'm involved with are third generation Vegas. The Nugget is among my favourite casinos in Vegas because it's so ‘old Vegas'". Asked to name any other favourite hotels or casinos, Agassi cites the Bellagio. "It's difficult to find better than the Bellagio, although that said every place offers its thing. Celine Dion virtually lives at Caesars Palace these days. There's this incredible lounge/bar called The Foundation with a deck area overlooking the city, sitting at the top of Mandalay Bay. I could go on... I will. Because there's also this place with incredible music acts called "The Joint", that's at The Hard Rock Hotel."
I asked Agassi where he goes first after getting home from a tournament or appearance (always a telling question). "I need to eat, and fortunately Vegas has come so far in it's dining options and cuisine that there are loads of good restaurants to choose from. There's this place at the Venetian called Delmonico, their stake is divine... easily the best in the city. I love Nobhill at the MGM Grand. For a meal with the family I always go to a place called Summerlin in Sedona. Um, I'm a partner in it actually. So I'm mildly biased (laughs)… but I love it, going to this place that you helped create just feels like home"".
For 30 years the fastest-growing city in America, Las Vegas is a city of great vision. Says Agassi – "The community of people who actually live in Vegas is strong, very strong. And it thinks that you can create anything or make anything happen as long as you actually believe in that thing enough. It's like an adult version of Disneyland." Never a truer word was said.
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You can read the full interview with Agassi at http://www.dialaflight.com/usa/lasvegas_extrainfo.asp . Dialaflight is one of the UK's top travel companies offering great value flights to the USA - http://www.dialaflight.com/flights/usa/ . Andre Agassi is a former world no 1 tennis player with 8 grand slam titles to his name. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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