Andre Agassi Plays Final US Open
Professional Tennis Great Collected Grand Slams and Fans Worldwide
Professional tennis has become a game of stoic, stern-faced champions, devoid of enthusiasm. Andre Agassi is leaving and taking his great image with him.
It seems like a lifetime ago when professional tennis star Andre Agassi appeared on Late Night with David Letterman. Agassi was a brash kid, no more than 17, with long hair and earrings, a five o'clock shadow and a nifty name that Letterman didn't even know how to pronounce.
Two decades later, the 36-year-old Agassi, now married to former women's star, Steffi Graf, is wrapping up one of the finest careers in tennis and sports, in general. The U.S. Open is a tremendous swan song for the guy who owns the greatest return game in the history of the sport.
Unlike most aging pro athletes, who overstay their welcome and damage their legacies, Agassi is leaving professional tennis and sports fans with fond memories of remarkable shot-making, killer instinct, a cool image and a friendly smile.
In over 20 years on the pro tennis circuit, Agassi has evolved; he's rebuilt himself year after year, always remaining fresh and fun to watch. Not with ridiculous statements or pitiful displays of poor sportsmanship, either. Sure, Agassi could go John McEnroe occasionally, but most of the time, he played with pure enthusiasm and fierce dignity.
Best of all, Andre Agassi overcame incredible odds. In a sport dominated by tall, lanky men, Agassi stands just 5-11 and weighs less than 180 pounds, when soaking wet. And he doesn't hit the ball 140 miles per hour, like the top tennis players in the world; he never has.
What Agassi brought to every tennis court he ever stepped foot on, en route to 60 pro wins and eight Grand Slam titles, is cat-like quickness and astonishing service-return ability. These two assets helped the diminutive Agassi overcome seemingly impossible odds is many matches (his Wimbledon victory over Goran Ivanisevic comes to mind). Ten years passed, before another baseline-style competitor won Wimbledon, in the fashion Agassi claimed it that day in 1992.
Now, a clean-cut, bald-headed Agassi, far removed from his renowned "Image-is-everything" persona, is ending a storybook career at a tournament he last won in 1999, the US Open.
Wouldn't it be truly Grand, if this remarkable star could walk away with one final victory on one of pro tennis' largest stages?
