With eight singles Grand Slam titles to his name, Andre Agassi has already established a Hall of Famer legacy on the men’s tennis tour. Apart from his remarkable on-court accolades, the former tennis ace is also known for his philanthropic endeavors. In an effort to give back to the community, the ATP legend previously established the ‘Andre Agassi Foundation,’ a public education organization for marginalized youngsters. But Agassi recently opened up about the difficulties that made him realize how he could make a difference.

Speaking about his charitable initiatives, the American tennis icon recently opened up about the reason behind the establishment of his education foundation. In the process, the 8-time singles Grand Slam champion also brought to light the challenges that were faced by children in his home city, Las Vegas.

Andre Agassi spoke candidly about the importance of education

In an event organized by Aviation International News, the tennis couple Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf talked about their idea of giving back through their foundations. Meanwhile, the legendary former player was asked about his inspiration behind starting his own public education organization, the ‘Andre Agassi Foundation’.

In his honest response, the 53-year-old brought to light the lack of educational opportunities in his city, Las Vegas. Agassi said, “When I really saw the children in my backyard, here in Las Vegas, being one of the fastest-growing cities for 30 straight years, you know, I saw children that really didn’t have a choice in their life. And the reason why they didn’t have a choice is because of their lack of options through education, right, their parents never, you know, graduated high school, let alone college, and, you know, the violence and the gangs and incarcerations.”

It further made him realize how these children didn’t have the luxury of achieving any significant accolades in any avenue. He added, “And so I started to kind of go, jeez, they’re not so lucky. They don’t have the luxury of bi**hing about being number one in the world at something, right?” The American former world No. 1 consequently came up with the idea of starting his own education foundation.

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Agassi on how he started his education foundation

During the conversation, the former tennis ace opened up about how harsh reality became the reason behind his philanthropic endeavor as he later took out a $40 million mortgage. Agassi said, “So I said, it was like overnight, where I said, you know, this is, this is now going to be my reason for what it is I do, you know, and I took out a $40 million mortgage, literally, what seems to be from one day to the next and build my own charter school here.”

The former World No.1 added some perspective on the big gap his foundation seeks to serve. He said, “And in the most economically challenged area, and the Las Vegas, I know, you guys see from one perspective when you come into town, but it’s the fifth largest school district in America, it’s pretty, pretty significant.”

What do you think of the American tennis legend’s public education organization for marginalized communities? Let us know in the comments section.

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