Agassi held his first big public appearance Monday night since the revelations in his book. There’s no doubt that the autograph event at the Wynn Hotel was designed to sell books but Andre Agassi is an entertainer and this city has bought into it for a long time.

His achievements on and off the court are remarkable, and the darker side of his life is more fascinating than most of us ever would have thought.

Fans who lined up to see him in person expressed surprise, anger, and disappointment. But despite all of those emotions, there’s still a lot of admiration for one of the most charismatic tennis players in history.

Steve Crupi: You’ve admired him for a long time but he now admits to a lot of bad things.

Dr. Ron Shaw: Well, that’s a part of growth and the development process for him. This also gives others a great chance to leave what’s in the past and still be remedied for the future.

Rep. Shelley Berkley: If we didn’t have Andre Agassi we’d have to invent Andre Agassi. That’s how spectacular he’s been.

Steve Crupi: So even a Congresswoman wants to get an autograph?

Rep. Shelley Berkley: I most certainly did. I actually promised a few of my friends that I would buy books for them and then get signatures.

More than anything, there are two words in his book “Open” that have sparked surprise and debate about the life of Andre Agassi: crystal meth. He admits using the highly addictive drug throughout most of 1997, a time when his career and emotions seemed lost.

“Listen, when you're depressed which I was, disconnected with life, disconnected with friends, disconnected with relationships, disconnected from your sport in a life you didn't choose, in a marriage you don't want to be in and you don't know what depression is, and someone comes along and offered me an escape and I took it.”

Always a consummate self-promoter, Agassi has put himself back in the spotlight. His fans – at least the ones who appeared at his signing event – seem more than willing to forgive him his failures since his achievements are far more numerous and will likely be remembered far longer.

Andre Agassi reportedly received $5 million in advance for writing his autobiography, on sale Monday. He has another book signing scheduled for November 22 at the Costco in Summerlin.

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