For tennis, 'my dad was a maniac, prone to fits of rage,' says Agassi

New York, Nov.9 (ANI): Tennis star has described his father, Mike, as a "maniac" who was prone to fits of rage and so obsessed with tennis he thought school actually got in the way.

Asked what his father's attitude was towards school and education, Agassi told CBS: "Unnecessary, takes up too much of the day because we should be hitting tennis balls; we could literally be driving to school and he could strike a deal with us to turn the car around as long as we get out there and play additionally. He just never thought a whole lot of it. And, neither did I."

He was sent to the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida when he was 14, dropped out of school in the ninth grade, and when Agassi called his dad and asked him if he should turn pro at 16, he said his father reacted like this: "He was like 'Hello? Who am I talking to? What are you gonna do? Be a doctor? You don't go to school, take the money and turn pro.' And while he was right and while I probably knew I would make that choice anyhow, I just didn't quite like the way he put it." (ANI)