"He simply asks if I'm a fa***t" - When Andre Agassi's father was "horrified" by the then-youngster's pink mohawk

Andre Agassi once claimed that his father was far from pleased with his look as a youngster when he was at the Bollettieri Academy.

Agassi joined Nick Bollettieri's academy as a youngster and it was during this time when he had a look that consisted of a pink mohawk and an earring.

"I walk into a hair salon in the Bradenton Mall and tell the stylist to give me a mohawk. Razor the sides, shave them to the scalp, and leave just one thick strip of spiked hair down the middle. 'Are you sure, kid? I want it high, and I want it spiky. Then dye it pink,'" Agassi wrote in his book "Open: An Autobiography."

"He works his shearer back and forth for eight minutes. Then he says, All done, and spins me around in the chair. I look in the mirror. The earring was good, this is better," he added.

Agassi wrote about an incident when he returned to his home for Christmas and his father was "horrified" by his hair and earrings, asking him if he was a "fa***t".

"My father, as expected, is horrified by my hair and earring. But he refuses to blame himself or the Bollettieri Academy. He won’t admit that sending me away was a mistake, and he won’t stand for any talk of my coming home. He simply asks if I’m a fa***t," Agassi wrote.

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Andre Agassi won ten singles titles as a teenager

Andre Agassi congratulates Carlos Alcaraz on winning Netflax Slam 2024

Andre Agassi won 60 singles titles in his career, ten of which came while he was a teenager.

The American turned pro in 1986 and his maiden ATP singles title came in 1987 at the now-defunct Seoul Open. 1988 was a largely successful year for Agassi as he won six titles and reached the semifinals of two Grand Slams.

The American's last title as a teenager was his most prestigious at that point, as he won the Miami Open by beating Stefan Edberg in the final, thus avenging his loss to the Swede in Indian Wells.

Andre Agassi's first Grand Slam final came shortly after he turned 20. As a teenager, his best Major performance was reaching three semifinals, two in 1988 and one in 1989.

He went on to have a pretty successful career in tennis, winning eight Grand Slams. Agassi also won an Olympic gold in Atlanta in 1996.