After suffering from sciatica caused by two bulging discs in his back, a spondylolisthesis (vertebral displacement) and a bone spur that interfered with the nerve, Agassi retired from professional tennis on September 3, 2006, after losing in the third round of the US Open.
ˈæftɚ sˈʌfɚɹɪŋ fɹʌm saɪˈæɾɪkə kˈɔːzd baɪ tˈuː bˈʌldʒɪŋ dˈɪsks ɪn hɪz bˈæk, ɐ spˈɑːndɪlˌɑːlɪsθəsˌɪs vˈɜːɾɪbɹəl dɪsplˈeɪsmənt ænd ɐ bˈoʊn spˈɜː ðæt ˌɪntəfˈɪɹd wɪððə nˈɜːv, ˈæɡæsi ɹᵻtˈaɪɚd fɹʌm pɹəfˈɛʃənəl tˈɛnɪs ˌɔn sɛptˈɛmbɚ θɹˈiː, tˈuː θˈaʊzənd sˈɪks, ˈæftɚ lˈuːzɪŋ ɪnðə θˈɜːd ɹˈaʊnd ʌvðə jˌuːˈɛs ˈoʊpən.