During his ATP Tour career, Andre Agassi played a strategic brand of baseline tennis that always saw him thinking two steps ahead. It’s no surprise that quality has carried into his investment strategies.

The former World No. 1 opened up in a recent interview about how he has invested his more than $31 million in career prize money – plus a hefty sum in endorsement deals – in order to maximise his net worth while positively impacting the lives of others.

“I bet on people, not on things,” said Agassi to the Economic Times. “A good idea can get screwed up and an average idea can become something really special because of people.”

But while Agassi was never afraid to gamble down break point or at 4-4 in a final set, his investment strategy is more conservative. He told the Economic Times that he opts for a clear risk approach that “may not see 10-12 per cent returns every year, but also [won’t] drop in value by 20 per cent.”

Although clear risk strategies are often seen as a hands-off approach, Agassi is far from that when it comes to his finances.

“I have my more high-risk investments that I personally engage with. Outside of that, I am happy to listen to any investment as a passive investor,” he said. “But there are one or two areas that I really connect with – like maybe education or sports – where I take a much more aggressive position [and] invest my time and money.”

Agassi has been betting on people through education for nearly 20 years. In 2001, his foundation launched the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, a public charter school in his hometown of Las Vegas. He has since teamed with an investment fund and helped finance the building of more than 90 charter schools across America in the past five years.

The tennis legend isn’t shy to admit his eighth-grade dropout status and said he hopes to prevent others, even those with the same athletic aspirations as his, from going down the same path.

“Education endows you with choice. My lack of education was probably the greatest vehicle to my commitment and interest In education,” he said. “[If] you’re successful in sports, but you spent a third of your life not preparing for the remaining two-thirds… that’s not ideal.”

Seven-time former champion Roger Federer recorded his 50th match win at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Wednesday night with a hard-fought 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Fernando Verdasco, the 2017 finalist, in one hour and 35 minutes.

“I’m happy I actually stayed calm throughout the game. I felt like I was having a good feeling out there. Even though I wasn’t playing my best, I still felt like it was going to fall my way when it really mattered. I think that confidence is kind of important in sports or in tennis. I’m happy I had it today… I played good at the end. I had the serve when I needed it, had some good shots, a good point on break point when I needed it. That was nice to win it that way.”

Federer, who was informed on court that it was his 50th victory, in Dubai admitted, “I was like, ‘Phew, 50, a lot of tennis here in Dubai. I’m very happy. It’s a big number. I’m not sure if I’m going to get to 100. Let’s put it that way (smiling).”

By moving to within three victories of capturing the 100th trophy of his career, Federer will next challenge Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics, who was a 6-4, 6-2 victor over Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany earlier in the day. Federer beat Fucsovics in their only FedEx ATP Head2Head series meeting at the 2018 Australian Open.

“I know Marton quite well actually,” said Federer. “He came to Zurich to train with me. He was nice enough to come there. I don’t remember how long we spent, but a few days practising together there. We had a great time. Then, I played him at the Australian Open last year. [It was a] good match… He’s improved. He likes the fast surfaces. He likes to play up in the court. He has the power when required. I think it’s going to be definitely a match that’s going to test me tomorrow.”

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In their first meeting for four years (2015 Dubai), Federer mixed up his service placement and tactics to keep Verdasco on the back foot. Verdasco double faulted to gift Federer a 3-1 advantage and was tentative on serve at 2-5, when the Spaniard recovered from 0/30. Federer, who lost five of his service points in the 28-minute opener, closed out when Verdasco hit a backhand return into the net.

In a dramatic reversal, centred largely on Federer moving away from serving to Verdasco’s slice backhand, the momentum of the match shifted. Verdasco saved a break point in the first game of the second set and soon found himself with a 3-0 lead. Federer continued to serve and volley off his first delivery, but Verdasco held his nerve to win his first set against the second seed since November 2009 at the Nitto ATP Finals (Federer won 4-6, 7-5, 6-1).

Federer looked to stamp his authority on the third set, early on, but Verdasco’s serve had great fluency and his movement on the baseline had improved. Federer saved one break point at 1-1, 30/40, and then held to love in his next two service games. A net cord winner for Federer at 4-3, with Verdasco serving at 30/30 set up a break point, which resulted in a 26-stroke rally. He is now 50-6 overall in Dubai.

“These best-of-three set matches, you’re not always in control of everything because, like you saw at the end, a good five minutes from your opponent or a good five minutes from you can decide the outcome of the match,” said Federer. “You’re definitely living on the edge at some point in the match. This is how it is.”

The 37-year-old Federer is attempting to become the second man in the Open Era to capture 100 singles title (after Jimmy Connors, 109). The Swiss superstar, the champion at the Aviation Club in 2003-05, 2007, 2012, 2014-2015, improves to a 5-1 record in 2019.

Earlier in the day, Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili broke a two-match losing streak against defending champion Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-3 in two hours and 12 minutes. He awaits the winner of sixth-seed Croatian Borna Coric and 2013-14 finalist Tomas Berdych, who play later today.