"The Legend" is finally retiring. I grew up watching Andre Agassi. He's my age so I kind of lived vicariously through him since I didn't have the money, contacts or know-how to take my tennis game to the next level. He'll be missed just like all the others that made tennis interesting for me like Bjorg, McEnroe, Connors, Cash, Wilander, Edberg, Lendl, Becker, Navratilova, Everett Lloyd, Sabitini, Graf, Seles and many others. So, heres's to you Agassi...maybe when I'm old, gray and retired I'll be watching your children play on the circuit.
Agassi Closes Out Career at U.S. Open
NEW YORK (AP) -- Beneath the stands of Arthur Ashe Stadium, 5-foot-tall posters of U.S. Open champions decorate the otherwise spartan hallways leading to the door Andre Agassi will step through to reach center court for the final time.
There, on a wall between photos of Pete Sampras and Andy Roddick, is a shot of Agassi from his 1994 triumph. His blond hair is long, his face is unshaven, his shirt's a loud purple, and his accessories include a pinkie ring, a dangling earring and a chain necklace, all gold. The getup says "rebel," and that was certainly his reputation for the first decade or so of his pro career.
The Agassi who will play in his last U.S. Open - indeed, his last tournament - looks quite different, from the bald pate on down. And his reputation has changed as much as his appearance.
He leaves the game as an elder statesman, not merely because he's 36, but also because of his success on the court and his demeanor and extensive charity work off it. Through all the in-the-public-eye parts of his personal life (Barbra Streisand; Brooke Shields; Steffi Graf) and ups and downs of his professional life (career Grand Slam; No. 1 in 1995; No. 141 in 1997; back to No. 1 in 1999), he's been one of tennis' most dynamic and popular players.
Which is why, even though there are a myriad of intriguing plot lines to follow when play begins Monday at Flushing Meadows - Can Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal meet in a third consecutive Grand Slam final? Will Roddick thrive with new coach Jimmy Connors? Can Maria Sharapova win a second major title? Will Serena Williams, whose sister Venus withdrew with a wrist injury, shake off the rust of a six-month layoff? How will instant replay's Grand Slam debut go? - all eyes will be on Agassi.
It's why U.S. Tennis Association TV ads promoting the tournament feature him with the tagline, "The Legend." It's why the plan is to showcase him against Andrei Pavel of Romania in the only center court match Monday night, a person at the USTA told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, because the schedule hasn't been officially announced.
All that, even though hardly anyone expects the unseeded Agassi and his troublesome back to leave New York with a Grand Slam title to add to the eight he already owns. Agassi included.
"I hope when I get back to the familiar sights and sounds of Arthur Ashe Stadium that something takes over," he said, "but I don't know what to expect. That's the part of it that's pretty hard to get my arms around."
He needs cortisone injections to deal with the pain and allow freedom of movement, and whatever soothing effects the shots provide last only weeks now instead of months. There's also the matter of match practice, of getting into a groove by facing top competition in a string of outings before a big event. He doesn't have the benefit of that, either, having pulled out of two events this month.
Still, it's quite clear that it's not about wins and losses at this point. It's about saying, "So long," for Agassi and for everyone else.
"There's a lot of great feelings associated with what I'm going through. There's real excitement. There's sadness in knowing that a big chapter of your life that you've poured yourself into is coming to a close, and there's excitement for the future, for the next stage, the next adventure," Agassi said.
"You're saying goodbye to a job, you're saying goodbye to people you've done it with, but you also are in position to take the next plunge in life. And, you know, I've just never done this before."
It's not surprising that Agassi himself, along with the USTA, TV executives and fans, would like to see him make one last good showing. Perhaps something akin to Connors' fist-pumping parade to the 1991 U.S. Open semifinals at age 39, considered so thrilling to this day that rain delays prompt producers to dust off the old footage.
But other players want Agassi to go out on a high, too.
"Oh, yeah, I would love to see him win many matches. That's the first thing I think every player looks at this time around: Who does Agassi play? Where is he in the draw?" two-time defending champion Federer said. "He's got a tough draw, there's no question. But I still hope he's going to have a good run like last year."
Agassi reached the 2005 final in what might very well turn out to have been his last hurrah, and it might have had a lingering effect this season. He took off months at a time, and he's played only 15 matches, winning eight.
At least everyone knows this is it for Agassi, who announced his retirement plans before Wimbledon. His great rival, Pete Sampras, didn't tell the world he was done until a full year after what turned out to be his last match, a victory over Agassi in the 2002 U.S. Open final.
By making his exit here, Agassi is coming full circle: His first major tournament was in New York as a 16-year-old in 1986. Two years later, he reached the Open's semifinals, and in 1992 he won his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon. He would add U.S. Open titles in 1994 and 1999, four Australian Open titles and the 1999 French Open title, making him one of five men to win all four majors.
Somewhere along the way, the public's perception of him shifted from the punk in the "Image is Everything" advertising campaign he later distanced himself from to the "Father Knows Best" persona he enjoys now.
John McEnroe likens it to the metamorphosis undergone by boxer George Foreman, from feared fighter to roly-poly grill salesman.
"I played him when he was 16 or 17 and he had an energy to him then. He was excitable. I liked him then. He wasn't educated in the sense he went to college or high school, but he seemed to be an intelligent young guy, somebody who absorbed everything," said McEnroe, who won seven major titles. "I find it nonetheless amazing that he's made this transformation. There were times Andre had a chip on his shoulder. ... (Then) he dedicated himself to the sport, and he's become this incredible ambassador. We need to find a way to keep him around."
Agassi says he's not sure what his future holds, other than more family time with Graf and their two children. And he deflects questions about his legacy in the game.
Others, such as ATP chairman Etienne de Villiers, don't hesitate to assess Agassi's importance to tennis.
"There are certain guys you wish would go on forever. He'll be a huge, huge loss for the sport. Andre's got a great mind. He's got a great attitude. He gets it. He's a very, very, very smart guy. He's articulate. He's charismatic. Of course the sport will suffer," de Villiers said. "It's like when the NBA lost (Michael) Jordan: You can't replace people like that."
(click on article for official page on Tennis.com)
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