End Of An Era: Agassi Says Good-Bye
from: Tennis Week http://www.sportsmediainc.com/tennisweek/index.
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By Richard Pagliaro
09/04/2006
The final farewell had arrived, but the 23,000 fans crammed into every
conceivable corner of Arthur Ashe Stadium wouldn't let Andre Agassi leave
without one long, last, heartfelt group hug.
Moments after 25-year-old qualifier Benjamin Becker sent the ageless Agassi
into retirement with a 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-5, third-round U.S. Open victory,
the capacity crowd stood in unison and serenaded Agassi with an extended
emotional standing ovation that spanned nearly six minutes and surpassed the
brick walls of the stadium reverberating throughout the grounds of the Billie
Jean King National Tennis Center.
Tears welled in Agassi's eyes as the applause filled his ears. It was an
ovation that came in surround sound as the fans in the adjacent Louis
Armstrong Stadium, watching on the scoreboard, also stood as did the hundreds
of people standing around the fountains outside Ashe Stadium watching on the
giant video screen. A U.S. Open record crowd of 36,830 came together to
lavish the love on the man whose 224 career Grand Slam victories are second
only to Jimmy Connors' 233 major match wins.
The scoreboard showed Agassi lost this third-round match — the 1,144th and
final match of his storied career — but the rousing ovation he received from
the fans was audible tribute to the eight-time Grand Slam champion who was
once again a winner at love.
Choking back tears as he took the microphone to address the crowd, Agassi
scanned the sea of fans' faces, many of them weeping, staring back at him.
Son Jaden Gil Agassi jumped off mother Steffi Graf's lap and joined the
crowd, which included Agassi's close friends, manager Perry Rogers and
trainer/mentor Gil Reyes and coach Darren Cahill, in saluting the two-time
U.S. Open champion.
Then the man who has contributed so many memorable moments to these New York
crowds in his 21 years of U.S. Open competition thanked the fans for what
they have given to him in return.
"The scoreboard said I lost today, but what the scoreboard doesn't say is
what it is I have found," Agassi said. "And over the last 21 years, I have
found loyalty. You have pulled for me on the court and also in life. I've
found inspiration. You have willed me to succeed sometimes even in my lowest
moments. And I've found generosity. You have given me your shoulders to stand
on to reach for my dreams, dreams I could have never reached without you.
Over the last 21 years, I have found you and I will take you and the memory
of you with me for the rest of my life. Thank you."
Parting can be painful, but Agassi's address was an eloquent exit for the
characteristically classy champion who concluded his time on court taking his
customary four-corner bow and blowing kisses to the crowd. An appreciative
Agassi packed his Head racquets into his black-and-orange bag, slung the bag
over his shoulder and spun around for a moment as if taking mental snap-shots
of the scene as he waved to the stadium full of fans still standing before
disappearing into the tunnel.
"It just felt amazing," Agassi said in the post-match press conference, which
was packed with media, Agassi's friends, including former Davis Cup teammate
Jim Courier, and fellow players including Fabrice Santoro. "It felt amazing.
Nothing I've ever experienced before. Overwhelmed with how they embraced me
at the end. You know, they saw me through my career. They've seen me through
this as well."
The applause was still echoing in his ears when Agassi arrived in the locker
room to another standing ovation from his fellow players.
"When I went into the locker room afterwards, they were all standing,
applauding me. I'll tell you, the greatest applause that any person will ever
receive in their life is that which comes from their peers," Agassi said.
"It's not like we're a company who's working together to accomplish
something. We're people that succeed, in some cases, at the demise of the
other. To have them applaud you is the ultimate compliment."
The 36-year-old Agassi had fought through two physically grueling matches —
a four-set triumph over Andrei Pavel in the opening round and a 6-4, 6-4,
3-6, 5-7, 7-5 triumph over a cramping eighth-seeded Marcos Baghdatis in the
second round. But facing an opponent 11 years his junior, who was toughened
by competing in the cauldron of qualifying, Agassi ultimately ran out of time
and answers.
Though Becker, who beat Filippo Volandri in his first career U.S. Open main
draw match before dismissing 30th-seeded Sebastien Grosjean in the second
round, is not related to Hall of Famer Boris Becker, he recalled the six-time
Grand Slam champion's serving prowess at times today. The 112th-ranked
German, who won the 2004 NCAA singles title while majoring in business at
Baylor, stubbornly staved off four break points in the third game, battling
back from 0-40 down to hold serve.
Agassi did not get another sniff at a break point for the rest of the set.
Serving at 5-6 to force a tiebreak, Agassi, who was beaten by a blistering
Becker return winner off a short second serve earlier in the game, went for
too much on his second serve. The serve landed long and Becker broke to take
the opening set, 7-5.
Though Agassi struck shots with authority at times his mobility was limited
for much of the match. Hobbled by painful sciatic nerve condition that
required him to take two cortisone shots during the first week of play, a
hobbled Agassi has a half-step slow to the ball and hunched over in pain at
one point after a jarring landing following a serve. Lacking the lateral
movement he displayed against Baghdatis, Agassi could not get his body weight
behind the ball consistently and was sometimes forced to lunge at shots.
"I went out there not feeling terrible pain, but sort of pretty still tight
from everything that transpired a few nights earlier," Agassi sad. "The pain
came quickly. It can do that, and it did. I knew I was in trouble at that
point. You immediately start cutting corners that you know are going to come
back to haunt you. Then you know it's going to gradually get worse, sometimes
very quickly get worse."
Persevering through the pain, Agassi poured purpose, passion and pride out
onto the court to pull out the second set in a tiebreak. But it would prove
to be a short-lived retirement reprieve.
Despite his Grand Slam inexperience, Becker, who made his Grand Slam main
draw debut at Wimbledon two months ago, played with the poise of a man who
believed he could win. Realizing Agassi could not run with him, Becker was
willing to rally with an opponent who had played in 1,135 more matches before
pulling the trigger on his big forehand. Becker hit 82 winners, including 27
aces, compared to 37 winners for Agassi, who struggled to catch up to shots
that pulled him wide to the right.
Still, Agassi cruised through the fourth set on serve and held a 40-0 lead
while serving at 5-5 when Becker blitzed him with four straight winners.
Hooking a sharp-angled forehand return winner crosscourt, Becker reached
break point then rifled another forehand return winner down the line to break
for 6-5. Reeling off seven straight points to earn match point, Becker calmly
reached back and smacked his 27th ace down the middle to send Agassi into
retirement.
It was then that athlete and audience came together as one during Agassi's
farewell speech to his fans.
"I was sitting there realizing that I was saying good-bye to everybody out
there and they were saying good-bye to me," Agassi said. "It's saying
good-bye. It's a necessary evil. But we were getting through it together.
That felt amazing."
In his post-match press conference, Agassi spoke like a man at peace with
himself and satisfied the end came on his terms. Smiling frequently, Agassi
offered an amusing response to potentially playing the senior circuit ("I'm
not retiring to immediately think about playing tennis again"); the
conversation he'd have if he could speak to the 17-year-old Agassi ("I would
say I understand you a heck of a lot more than I want to be you"); and even
invited the media to track him down in Vegas for future interviews. Asked if
he was serious in his offer, Agassi replied "It depends if I liked you or
not. No, I would love to see you all again."
The father of two children, Jaden Gil and Jazz Elle, will turn his attention
to his family, his foundation and his charter school and said he plans to
stay active in tennis in the future.
"It's a transition," Agassi said. "There's been a feeling, like I expressed,
of a bit of sadness saying good-bye. I mean, the part that makes this so good
over the years is the fact that it will come to an end, the fact that there
is an an end and a good-bye makes you really take that in what you get to
share and experience. That pain of the good-bye really lifts the joy of the
experience. I'm very much at peace with that."
He first burst onto the New York City courts clad in clothes louder than the
neon that lights up Broadway while walking with the fearless strut of a
long-haired teenager who never saw a line he didn't think he could hit.
Today, he stepped between the lines for the final time finding that
fulfilling finish line he shared with all of those who had come to say
good-bye.
"Legends live forever" read the sign two fans held aloft as Agassi, wearing a
necklace his son gave him that read "Daddy Rocks", exited the world's largest
Grand Slam stage and walked into the next act of his life — after one final
rousing standing ovation from the media that packed his post-match press
conference.
"The pride I take in everything I've experienced has to do with what I poured
into it, not necessarily what that experience was," Agassi said. "I think
tennis is one vehicle. I think we can find excuses in life or we can find
inspirations. I've always tried to find inspirations."
--
Oh, it's such a perfect day
I'm glad I spend it with you
Oh, such a perfect day
You just keep me hanging on
You just keep me hanging on
--
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