ANDRE AGASSI - AGASSI LANDS BIG DEAL FOR HIS MEMOIRS

Retired tennis ace ANDRE AGASSI is penning his memoirs. The hotelier and philanthropist's autobiography has been part of a secret bidding war in recent months. Publisher ALFRED A KNOPF has acquired the rights. Bidding reportedly topped $5 million (GBP2.5 million). The book is not yet titled and no release date has been set. In a statement, released yesterday (28MAR07), Agassi said, "I recently had the privilege of meeting with top executives and editors from eight publishing houses. "Everyone was very impressive, but in the end, I felt the strongest connection with SONNY MEHTA and his colleagues at Knopf." Mehta says, "Andre Agassi is one of the world's most popular and admired figures. He has lived an extraordinary life, and he has a great story to tell."