"I write this letter to you using my own words and my own thoughts. I've been wanting to share this with you for a long time. I wasn't ready until this moment. By giving this to you all, I wish to close the envelope of my past.

"I know there is much mystery, much question to what happened, and I must also say, many lies. Yes, I made mistakes by rebelling, by acting out in confused ways. But it was all due to the fact that I was very young and I was experiencing my adolescence. Most of you know how hard that can be. When you do it in front of the world, it is even harder.

"I took a different path, one you might not expect. But along the path, I learned a lot about my life -- about life. It has molded me into what I am now. If I knew there would be so much pain in learning life's lessons, I would be hesitant to take the path that I took. It's the only thing I do regret.

"Let me say that the path I did take for a brief period of my life was not of reckless drug use, hurting others, but it was a path of quiet rebellion, of a little experimentation of a darker side of my confusion in a confusing world, lost in the midst of finding my identity.

"I made mistakes, and yes, I am to blame and no one else. I am sorry to my loved ones that I humiliated and embarrassed. I'm sorry to myself for causing so much pain.

"But I've put a great deal behind me, mvoing forward in the right direction, the direction I feel is right. I feel like I've started a new chapter in my life, and I need to leave the past behind. So this will be the final time that I speak about the past. I just ask that after today, you please respect my wishes.

"I want to thank many of you for the support you've given me in the past and here at the great U.S. Open. I can't thank the fans enough. They have touched my heart with their support from all over the world.

"I feel each day for me now is getting better and better. I wrote this statement before the Open began and waited until my run was over to say all this.

"Thanks for listening and understanding."