Is Andre Agassi an Armenian? Everything to Know About His Family’s Original Roots

By ANUBHAV BHANDARI, ESSENTIALLY SPORTS

Andre Agassi, the American tennis legend has always waved the flag of America proudly and even won a gold medal at the 1996, Olympics held in Atlanta, Georgia. Born and brought up in Las Vegas, as American as one can be though, his roots are from a different side of the world. Although not directly related to the country, his familial roots lie in Armenia.

So what is his ethnicity and when did his bloodline migrate to America? How does a migrant’s son who is escaping prosecution become world No. 1 in tennis? Let’s find out.

Agassi, of Armenian descent, continues to call Las Vegas his home. His father, Emmanuel “Mike” Agassi, represented Iran as a boxer in the 1948 and 1952 Olympics before immigrating to the United States. Upon obtaining citizenship, he altered the family name from Agassian to Agassi to escape potential persecution.

It was Emmanuel’s brother, Samuel, who paved their way to Chicago. Emmanuel changed his name to “Mike” upon immigrating to blend in and by 1963, he had moved to Las Vegas to take a job at the Tropicana Hotel Casino. Agassi’s mother, Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Agassi is an American and got married to Mike in 1959. They had four children, two daughters and two sons. They are Rita, Phillip, Tami, and Andre.