Agassi comes clean, pleads for compassion

New Delhi: Andre Agassi opened up on the American TV show 60 Minutes about his just-released autobiography 'Open'. The book contains frank confessions about his experiments with crystal meth as well as him losing matches on purpose to avoid playing certain opponents.

Agassi said he didn't know much about crystal meth, but he took it at a time when he was depressed.

"It was during a time when I was in a life, a marriage, that I didn't want. And somebody came around and offered me an escape and I took it, " he said.

Agassi has admitted in book that he tanked matches, more than once. That he tanked the 1996 Australian Open semi, probably against Michael Chang.

On the show, he says he would not justify that.

"I don't. Here's a person that just didn't want to be out there. I mean when you actually go the extra mile to make it look like you care about this, but you know deep down the worse thing in the world that could happen would be for me to win and have to come back tomorrow. I wanted no part or it. And you go through this fight with yourself. That's what tennis is and I think that's what makes the sport pretty darn special," he said.