Agassi one of the best tennis players of all time despite dope-taint: Murray
November 2nd, 2009 - 4:38 pm ICT by ANI ( Leave a comment )London, Nov 2 (ANI): UK tennis sensation Andy Murray said he would not judge his idol Andre Agassi for revelations that he lied to avoid a drugs ban in the 1990s.
“I loved Andre and he was unbelievably nice to me. I judge him as a tennis player and he was a great player, one of the best of all time,” Murray said.
“No one wants drugs in sport but everyone makes mistakes,” The Mirror quoted Murray, as saying.
Earlier, Agassi in a promotional video for his autobiography has revealed that he confessed to using crystal methamphetamine and dodging a drugs ban so that people can learn from his difficult times.
The American tennis legend revealed his use of the substance in his new autobiography “Open” and that he received a call from a doctor working for the ATP in the autumn of 1997 to inform him that he had failed a drug test.
Agassi explained that he protested his innocence and lied, saying the meth was only in his system as he’d drank a friend’s spiked drink. He was spared punishment, The Mirror reports.
“It wasn’t easy to be so candid. I didn’t want to hurt anyone,” explained Agassi, 39, in a video to promote his book.
“I wasn’t keen on embarrassing myself, but I felt my story was one from which many people could learn: difficult childhood, unhappy first marriage, struggle with professionalism, feeling of inadequacy.”
Agassi’s had also revealed that his father Mike Agassi asked him to take the drug speed before a tournament and that his taking it, angered the World Anti-Doping Agency. (ANI)
- Agassi confessed taking drugs to make people learn from his difficult times - Nov 02, 2009
- Agassi admits using drugs in his memoir - Oct 28, 2009
- Agassi admits drug use, lying to tennis authorities - Oct 28, 2009
- Agassi likely to avoid retrospective punishment over drug use admission - Oct 30, 2009
- Agassi should not have hidden or lied about drug abuse: Navratilova - Nov 10, 2009
- Agassi reveals his father gave him drugs to take before matches - Nov 01, 2009
- Agassi bids to swap private torment for public acceptance - Dec 10, 2009
- Oz tennis great Newcombe serves up some love for Agassi - Nov 12, 2009
- Andre Agassi talks about his drug usage in his memoir - Oct 29, 2009
- Agassi's hate of tennis was a deep part of his life - Nov 09, 2009
- Agassi drugs revelation: WADA asks ATP to explain alleged cover-up - Oct 29, 2009
- Nadal says Agassi's 'lying' revelations are "terrible for tennis" - Nov 21, 2009
- Murray should take inspiration from Agassi to end Britain's Grand Slam drought - Feb 06, 2011
- Agassi recalls hitting a `big wall' after being on a tennis roll for two years - Nov 09, 2009
- Agassi book reveals 1997 meth-use drama (Lead) - Oct 28, 2009
Tags: american tennis, andre agassi, andy murray, crystal methamphetamine, difficult childhood, difficult times, drug speed, drug test, drugs in sport, inadequacy, meth, methamphetamine, player one, spiked drink, taint, tennis legend, tennis player, tennis players, tennis sensation, world anti doping agency