"Something to break the seductive grip that losing seems to have on me" - When Andre Agassi recalled moving out of his house after US Open 1R exit

Andre Agassi stated that he decided to move out of his house and live on his own after suffering an opening-round defeat at the US Open in 1991.

That year, Agassi reached the French Open final and the Wimbledon quarterfinals. He entered the US Open seeded eighth but lost 7-5, 7-6(3), 6-2 to compatriot Aaron Krickstein in the first round.

Agassi wrote about the defeat and what followed in his book "Open: An Autobiography". The American asserted that he needed to do something that would break the "seductive grip defeat had on him".

He claimed that he moved out of his house and started living on his own by buying a three-bedroom home in Las Vegas, which he jokingly described as a "parody of a bachelor pad."

"I need to do something radical, something to break the seductive grip that losing seems to have on me. I decide to move out on my own. I buy myself a three-bedroom tract home in southwest Vegas and turn it into the ultimate bachelor pad, almost a parody of a bachelor pad," Agassi said.

"I make one bedroom an arcade, with all the classic games—Asteroids, Space Invaders, Defender. I’m terrible at them, but I intend to get better. I turn the formal living room into a movie theater, with state-of-the-art sound equipment and woofers in the couches. I turn the dining room into a billiard room," he added.

Andre Agassi won 79 out of 98 matches at the US Open

Andre Agassi at the 2019 Australian Open

Andre Agassi had a pretty successful US Open career, triumphing in 79 out of 98 matches, with two titles to his name.

The American did not have the best of starts at the New York Major, as he suffered opening-round exits in his first two appearances in 1986 and 1987. Agassi reached back-to-back semifinals in 1988 and 1989 before reaching the final in 1990, when he was beaten by Pete Sampras.

His first title at Flushing Meadows came in 1994, when he beat Michael Stich in the final. Agassi thus became the first unseeded player to win the US Open in the Open Era. He came close to defending his title in 1995 but was beaten by Pete Sampras in the final.

Agassi's last triumph at the US Open came in 1999, defeating Todd Martin in the title clash. He also reached two finals at the tournament this century in 2002 and 2005.

Andre Agassi's last appearance at the US Open came in 2006 and he reached the third round before being beaten by Benjamin Becker in what turned out to be the final match of his illustrious tennis career.