#2 - Andre Agassi
I honestly do not know how to start this one. I have so much I want to say about Andre. I guess the best place to get this going would be from the beginning. I started to follow Andre in 1991 with a memorable match at the French Open.
My mother was the one who introduced me to tennis. Apparently she played quite often. I do not give her nearly as much credit as I should, but she was a pretty solid athlete back in the day. Anyways, my mother got me started with the game of tennis. She would sit me down in the living room and we would watch the tennis matches together. She often remarked about a young kid named Andre Agassi. She talked often about his long hair and his flashy outfits. I don’t know the exact moment I became an Andre fan, but I believe it was hearing her talk about Andre all the time. Next thing I know, Andre became my favorite tennis player. The year was 1991, I was six years old.
The rap on Andre in those days was that he could never win the big match. He seemed to always have the potential, but he never could break through and win that first grand slam title. He lost in 1990 to Andres Gomez in the French Open final. To this day Andre can not believe he lost that one. He then lost another grand slam final later in that year to Pete Sampras in the U.S Open. I do not remember those matches, my first vivid memory of watching Andre on TV came in the 1991 French Open final when he battled fellow American Jim Courier. I had not followed that tournament, mainly because I watched TV when my mom said I could. Well, she said that Andre was playing today, and I was excited.
Andre won the first and third sets of that final and was looking in control of the match. Then, rain followed and the match went on delay. Looking back on things, that rain was a pretty big reason for Andre’s collapse. He had Courier on the ropes, up 2 sets to 1 and an early break in the 4th set. However, Courier made an adjustment in the locker room and when the rain stopped, so had Andre’s momentum. Courier won the next 6 games of the 4th set, and then won the 5th set 6-4 to win the title. I was crushed. Again, Andre was so close to winning, but couldn’t close the match. It was at this point where I began to live and die with each Andre match. If he won, I was thrilled. If he lost, then I was crushed. Andre was my very first sports icon. I liked him before I liked the Browns, before I liked the Irish, and before I rooted for the Indians. Andre was first.
Similar to Tiger Woods and golf, I started to play tennis because of Andre Agassi. I wanted to be just like him. I must have spent hundreds of hundreds of hours hitting the tennis ball up against the house. I must have broken just about every possible window I could with a tennis ball. Playing tennis became my favorite thing to do. My very first tennis racquet was an Andre Agassi racquet. It had the big “A” spray painted on the strings. Whenever I played, I would never come up to the net. Andre didn’t play at the net and neither would I. I have played more tennis than any other sport. It is without a doubt the sport I am the best at. I owe it all to Andre.
Andre hated Wimbledon. He hated it because it was right after the clay court season. He didn’t like how it was played so soon after the French Open. He didn’t like that it was played on grass, typically a surface better accustomed for big servers, which Andre was not at all. He didn’t like that there was a dress code. You had to wear all white. Andre never wore just all white, if anything, he wore every color but white. He played Wimbledon in 1987 and didn’t come back again until 1991. It would only be fitting that at Wimbledon, the place he hated, he would get his first grand slam title.
Beating the likes of Boris Becker and John McEnroe, Agassi defied all the experts by making it to the finals. He faced the big serve and volleying Croatian, Goran Ivansevic. In a classic five set match Andre defeated Goran to win that much elusive first grand slam. When Goran hit match point into the net, Andre collapsed to his knees, his hands on his head, and his face showing disbelief and then relief. I was already so much behind Andre at that point that I even got a little teary eyed after that match. Little did I know that I would have to wait two long years to witness an event like this again.
“Image is Everything.” That was the slogan for Andre in his early playing days. He spent more time on his hair, on his outfits, on his appearance than he did on his tennis. In the early days, Andre survived based solely on his talent. He hardly ever worked out, ate cheeseburgers and fries for pre-game meals, and spent a lot of time flirting with girls. Tennis seemed to take a back seat a lot of the time. This is exactly what happened after the 1992 Wimbledon victory. He disappeared from the tennis scene, at least competitive tennis. It would take an unprecedented run at the U.S. Open for Andre to get back into the tennis scene.
Andre entered the 1994 U.S. Open unseeded. He was ranked outside the top 16 in the world. He had not sniffed a grand slam title since his surprising Wimbledon victory. Not much was expected of Andre. This was the first tournament that I was lucky enough to follow Andre from beginning to end. It was a special two weeks that I will never forget. Magic began to happen in the 3rd round when he defeated 13th seeded Wayne Ferreira in straight sets. At that point I thought Andre could make a run at the title. In the 4th round he faced off against Michael Chang. Everyone figured that Agassi would lose to the 6th seeded Chang. Everyone except me. By hitting beautiful ground strokes and smashing winners all over the court, Andre beat Chang in a great five set battle. People were starting to believe. He knocked out Thomas Muster, the 14th seed in the quarterfinals with little problems. In the semi-finals he beat the 9th seed, Todd Martin in four sets. Then, in his 2nd U.S Open finals appearance, Agassi finished by defeating Michael Stich, the 4th seed in straight sets. Agassi again dropped to his knees, hands on his head and you could see him saying “I don’t believe it.” Believe it. Andre became the first player to win the U.S Open unseeded. He also became the first player ever in grand slam history to defeat five seeded players en route to a title. Andre was back.
At the ‘94 Open, Andre still had long hair. When 1995 rolled around, Andre had shaved all his hair off. This was the beginning of a brand new Agassi. One who was dedicated to tennis. 1995 was one of his best years by far. He dropped just one set en route to winning the Australian Open, his 2nd consecutive grand slam, and his 3rd overall. He made it to the quarterfinals of the French Open and the semi’s of Wimbledon, losing a tough match to Boris Becker. Agassi was up a set and a break against the German, but could not hold on. He entered the 1995 U.S Open ranked number one in the world. He made it all the way to the finals, but lost to his rival, Pete Sampras. That loss crushed Agassi. He had finally dedicated an entire year to tennis and still came up short. He thought there was nothing else he could do. Andre went away again after 1995, this time for a lengthy period.
Andre did win the 1996 Olympic gold medal in Atlanta. It was the first time that tennis was an Olympic sport. Agassi was the benefactor of a lot of the big names not showing up. Either way, he now had 3 grand slam titles and an Olympic gold. No one could take that away. However it would be the last time Agassi would enjoy the winners circle for a couple years.
Agassi was always in the public eye, especially when it came to girls he was “seeing.” Agassi was linked to the likes of Barbra Streisand in the early 1990’s and actually married Brooke Shields in 1997. This was when Shields was actually doing something with her life. At that time, Agassi’s priorities changed from tennis to being a husband. Unfortunate for me.
Agassi’s ranking dropped to an all-time low, #141. To qualify to play in the bigger events, Andre had to enter the “minor league” of tennis. You call your own lines at these events and get your own damn balls. Not the finest moment of Andre’s career by far. The best was yet to come.
In 1998, Andre rededicated himself to tennis. It might have helped that his marriage with Shields was not going great, or maybe Andre was tired of having to retrieve his own balls during matches. Whatever it was, Andre became a brand new tennis player. He was now in the best shape of his career, thanks to his fitness trainer Gil Reyes. Instead of trying to win points quickly, Andre wanted to grind out the other player. He wanted the match to go five sets because he knew he would win it if it got that far. He would outlast his opponents.
In the 1998 U.S. Open, Andre was officially back. He had brought his ranking from #141 to #8. He faced 9th seed Karol Kucera in the fourth round. It was a night match and I distinctly remember watching this match in my parents bedroom. Agassi lost that match in five sets, but I mention it because Kucera and Agassi got into a little bit of an argument. When Kucera tossed his ball to begin his serve on several occasions he apologized for a bad toss and did not hit the ball. This is not a problem if it happens once or twice, maybe three times at most during an entire match. However Kucera was doing it once or twice in every service game. Agassi was getting pretty mad and thought he was doing it on purpose. Agassi responded by doing the exact same thing, mimicking Kucera which brought laughs from the crowd. Agassi lost in five sets, but you could tell he was back yet again. He finished that year ranked #6, making the biggest jump ever into the top ten, from #141.
1999 was an historic year for Andre. It started at the French Open. Andre was growing hair again, except this time he was growing a full beard. It symbolized the workman like effort it would take to win the only grand slam title that eluded him.
Andre was ranked #14 for the tournament on the red clay of Roland Garros. He was two points away from being eliminated in the second round to Arnuad Clement, but managed to fight back and win. He beat 4th seeded Carlos Moya in the 4th round on his way back to the French Open final, for the 3rd time in his career. His opponent was ranked #100 in the world, big serving Andrei Medvedev. I could tell Agassi was nervous when the match started. It had the appearance of another “Andres Gomez” final right off the bat. I had never seen Agassi play so poorly before. In a blink of an eye, Agassi had lost the first two sets, 6-1, 6-2. However, this time, Agassi would not be denied. He stormed back, playing beautiful tennis and won the next three sets to successfully capture his first French Open title. Looking back on it, this was the defining moment of Agassi’s career. He became just the 5th player in the history of tennis to win the career grand slam (Wimbledon, U.S. Open, Australian Open, and the French). He had finally conquered those demons in Paris that had troubled his early tennis career. For the second time in his career, I was on the verge of shedding a tear after Agassi won. You could just tell how much this title meant to him. It was awesome to witness.
Agassi tried to make history again in 1999 by becoming the first player to win the French and Wimbledon titles back to back. He made it to the finals of Wimbledon, but lost again to Pete Sampras. Pete smoked Andre in straight sets. Sampras was simply unstoppable that day. To this day, I’ve never seen a more dominating performance. No one, not even present day Roger Federer would have beaten Sampras that day on that court. No one.
Agassi kept 1999 rolling by making it to the U.S Open finals. He had little trouble reaching the finals, only losing two sets in the process. He was met by good friend Todd Martin, who was playing the best tennis of his life. Agassi won the first set but then dropped the next two sets in tiebreakers, giving Martin the 2 sets to 1 lead. Andre though would not stop coming. He fought back and won his second five set grand slam title of the year. I watched this final in my room. Why do I remember these things? Well when Andre played I wanted to watch by myself. I wanted it to be just me and Andre. If anyone else was watching with me I felt as if I was cheating Andre by not giving him my full attention. I watched that final in my room with the door shut, and promptly went nuts when Agassi won. It was his fifth grand slam title. 1999 would be the first and only year that Agassi would finish as the year end world #1.
Agassi became the first player since 1969 to reach four consecutive grand slam titles when he reached the final of the 2000 Australian Open. On his way, Agassi defeated Pete Sampras in a classic five set battle. When Agassi finished the tournament by beating Yevgeny Kafelnikov, he became just the third player since 1969 to hold 3 of the 4 grand slam titles at once. However, Agassi struggled through the rest of 2000. He had a great battle with Patrick Rafter in the semi-finals of Wimbledon, but it was in a losing effort. It seemed Rafter always played his ultimate best tennis whenever he played Agassi.
Just a little side note about the year 2000. It was the year I graduated from St. Mary’s elementary. My 8th grade year I took French class with Huss and Hunt. As part of that amazing class, we each picked a French name. Huss went with “Pierre.” Hunt picked “Raoul,” which was fitting. I went with “Andre.” It was the easiest decision I have ever made before. Back to the story.
Agassi defended his 2000 Australian Open in style by cruising through the field to claim his seventh grand slam title. However Agassi could not carry that momentum in the French where he lost to Sebastian Grosjean. Then at Wimbledon, Agassi lost to Rafter, yet again, 8-6 in the fifth and final set. Back at the U.S Open Agassi played a very memorable match in the quarterfinals. Again it was Pete vs. Andre, and this one lived up to the billing. Watching in my kitchen with everyone else in my house sleeping, I watched a brilliant four set match that included zero break of serves. Zero. That is insane. Even when two huge servers meet up, someone is going to lose their serve at least once. Not the case in this one however. Pete won 3 of the 4 tiebreakers to win the match. I angrily turned off the TV, pissed at Pete. He was the only person I thought that if Andre was playing his best could not beat. My point was proven right again when Andre lost this titanic match.
The next year Andre was injured and could not defend his 2-time championship of the Australian Open. It would not be the only time Andre would be disappointed this year. He lost in the 2nd round of Wimbledon to little known Paradorn Srichaphan. Andre bounced back to make it to the finals of the U.S Open, but unfortunately had to face Pete, again. Pete won, again, in 4 sets. It would be the last match that Pete ever played as he went out on top. It was at this time when everyone wondered when Andre was going to call it quits too. He would not be done for a while.
A healthy Andre returned to the Australian Open and played the best tennis I’ve ever seen him play before. He smoked through the entire field as he lost just one set. In the final he dispatched of Rainer Schuettler 6-2, 6-2, 6-1. It was the quickest final match I’ve ever seen before. Just like that, Andre had his 4th Australian Open title and his 8th overall.
It’s funny how I remember the losses more than the wins. It’s just like when I played tennis though. In high school I could tell you every single person that I lost to. I could not tell you everyone I beat though. I vividly remember watching Andre lose to Guillermo Coria in the French later in 2003, and then watching Mark Philippoussis play out of his mind in Wimbledon against Andre. It seemed that Andre’s opponents always seemed to kick it up a notch. Andre remained constant, always playing steady tennis.
That year Andre made it to the semi-finals of the U.S. Open where he lost to Juan Carlos Ferrero. I was extremely disappointed in this loss. I thought that Ferrero was a pushover on the hard court and that if Andre played well he would win. Unfortunately, as hard as I tried to, I could not will Andre to win that match. I blame it on the fact that I watched that match at a friends house. What was I thinking?
In 2004 Andre was again on the wrong side of a memorable match. Having won the last 3 Australian Opens he had played in, Agassi looked strong again, reaching the semi-finals. He ran into Marat Safin, a talented young Russian. Safin took the first two sets in tiebreakers, Agassi came back to win the next two sets, but then Safin played the best tennis of his life in the fifth to defeat Agassi.
Andre hit a little bit of a downslide in 2004, bottoming out at the French Open when he lost in the 1st round. This also was the year that I graduated from high school. As part of my graduation gift, my parents took me to Cincinnati for the Masters Series event that is held there every year. It was me, my mother, my dad, and my good friend Kwame. Kwame and I made picks on who we thought was going to win. He took Roger Federer (who was becoming a force at this time) and I said that Agassi would beat Hewitt in the finals. Kwame laughed for a while.
We made it to Cincy for the start of the quarterfinals and would be staying for the rest of the tournament. Federer was knocked out in the 1st round, so Kwame was wrong and we were not going to watch Roger in person. However, Agassi was still alive so I was going to live a dream and watch Agassi live in person. His quarterfinal match was against a long time veteran Carlos Moya. The match was played at night and we were all there. It was an experience I will never forget. The first set was a tight one, being settled on a lengthy tiebreaker. Agassi won 14-12 in the tiebreaker and then won 6-3 in the 2nd set to reach the semi-finals. He would meet Andy Roddick. I was literally giddy with excitement.
The Roddick-Agassi match was again at night and you could just feel the buzz in the stadium before the match started. Agassi played brilliantly in the first set, breaking Roddick at 5-5 to win the 1st set 7-5. The second set went to a tiebreaker where the hard serving Roddick won 7-6 (7-2). This was going to be settled by a decisive third set. I tried my best to take the entire match in. Here I was watching my sports icon Andre Agassi live. Over ten years ago I was a little kid rooting for him on TV, and now I was here, and so was he. It was very special to say the least. Andre kicked it up a notch and won the final set. He was onto the finals to face Lleyton Hewitt, just as I had predicted earlier. Agassi won the match in three tough sets as I was there to cheer him on. It would turn out to be the last big event that Agassi would win. In my head I knew he would win, he just had to. It’s weird and I don’t know how to explain it, but I always have felt a connection to Andre. At my first professional tennis tournament, I just had a feeling that Andre was going to win. It was an experience I will never get the opportunity to live again, and one I will not soon forget.
Andre played solidly throughout 2004, losing to Roger Federer in a five set battle at the quarterfinals of the U.S Open. Roger was becoming the new Pete. He was the only person on tour that I thought Andre could simply not beat if Roger was playing well.
Agassi dodged questions of retirement right into 2005 when again he faced Roger Federer in the quarterfinals of a major. This time it was at the Australian Open, a place where Andre had a great track record at. Personally, I was now at Ohio University, and had to rush back to my dorm room to watch the match on tape delay. Federer smoked Andre, straight sets. He was simply too good.
At the French Open I saw something I had been fearing for quite some time. It was that Andre was no longer the grind it out player who was going to beat you into submission. He was an old player who needed quick matches to have any chance of winning tournaments. He lost in the first round of the French Open. During that match he was in tremendous back pain, but stuck it out, never quitting. The pain was so bad that Andre was in tears during several changeovers. I feared that the end would soon be near. I did not know how much longer I would have the privilege of watching Agassi.
Agassi entered the 2005 U.S Open seeded 7th. Expectations were low due to his ailing back. He breezed through his first three matches, then beat Xavier Malisse in a five set match. This set up a showdown with young American James Blake. Blake had been playing great tennis to reach the quarterfinals. He had beaten 2nd seed Rafael Nadal and was hitting the crap out of the ball. Many thought that the Agassi-Blake match would be a changing of the guard for American tennis. No one could have predicted the unbelievable match that took place.
The match was at night and I was in my dorm room watching with Barnes. Barnes appreciated good tennis, knew how much I liked Andre, and decided to join me for this great match. It ended up being an unforgettable experience. Blake won the first two sets with his ripping ground strokes. Agassi looked to be in trouble, especially after playing a five set match in the previous round. However, Agassi was not done as he came back to win the next two sets. This match would be decided by a decisive fifth set. During this furious comeback I had to try my best to keep quiet. Hunt, my other roommate, had gone to sleep when the match was just starting. I did not want to wake him up, so I was going silently crazy after each point.
In the fifth set, James Blake got the first break and was serving for the match at 5-4. Agassi had to break or the match would be over. Somehow, Andre came up with some huge returns to break back. The crowd was going nuts. This was unbelievable drama. They each held one more time to send it to a fifth set tiebreaker. With Agassi up 7-6 in the tiebreaker and with Blake serving, Agassi ripped a forehand return down the line to win the match. Words cannot be put into place about all the feelings going through me after that win. I had the biggest smile on my face as I went to bed after that match. 20 years from now Barnes and I will always remember that match. What an amazing night.
Agassi made it to the finals once again. He was the oldest finalist in U.S. Open history. Unfortunately, he was up against Roger Federer. For the third consecutive time in a grand slam, Agassi was knocked out by Roger. Andre said after the match that Roger was the best player he had ever played against. Those are some pretty strong words. Andre has played against the likes of Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Jim Courier, Ivan Lendl, and Pete Sampras.
After another long year, Andre was again being asked about retirement. Finally, at Wimbledon, Agassi announced that he would retire after that years U.S Open. I didn’t know what to think. I knew it was coming, but I just didn’t want it to happen. For me, it was symbolizing that my childhood was coming to an end. No one wants their childhood to come to an end.
Andre lost to Rafael Nadal in the 3rd round of Wimbledon. I watched in my living room as Andre had no answer for the young Nadal. Just like that, Andre had one tournament left.
Agassi said he was going to play in Cincinnati before the U.S Open. I again had tickets, this time thanks to Kwame’s wonderful family, but Agassi pulled out at the last minute. A part of me wanted to watch Andre one last time, but another part of me said that it was better that he skip. It would give him a better look at the U.S Open.
It was all about Andre when the U.S Open started in Flushing Meadows. He was unseeded for the first time since he won the title in 1994. He won a long tough four set match against Andrei Pavel in the 1st round. The entire match I was wondering if his back would hold up. I prayed that it would. So far, so good. His 2nd round match was against Marcos Baghdatis. Watching in my apartment with some friends, I witnessed another classic Agassi match. Playing someone 15 years his younger, Agassi stormed out to the win the first two sets. Baghdatis, seeded 8th, bounced back and won the next two. This was not good news for Agassi. The longer the match went, the better the possibility his back would act up and his career would be over. In a match that lasted 225 minutes (3 hours and 45 minutes), Baghdatis was the one who was cramping at the end, and Agassi was the one who fought through to an epic five set win. Agassi was moving on.
The crowd was going absolutely nuts after that match, and I again, had a huge smile on my face. Agassi had survived and was still not done. In the back of my mind, I didn’t think Andre would win the tournament, but I just wanted him to play as long as possible. At least for one more round, my childhood was still alive.
Agassi’s back was in bad condition after that long match against Baghdatis. He got an extra day of rest thanks to rain, but I felt deep down he would not be able to go much farther. He played Benjamin Becker in the 3rd round. Bothered by a bad back, Andre could not keep up, losing in 4 sets. I was watching his last match right where I watched him 15 years ago, in my living room at home. It was only fitting that I watched him there, and that I watch him walk away, with my mom watching with me. It was a somber day for tennis and for me. I would no longer get to watch Andre Agassi play tennis. I was growing up, and at that moment I felt as if growing up sucked.
There, in a rather big nutshell, was Andre’s career as I experienced it. I have brought you on a rather long journey of my experiences with Andre Agassi. I thought I would finish this long post with two segments. My top 10 moments of Andre Agassi and then my final thoughts on him as well.
MY TOP TEN MOMENTS OF ANDRE AGASSI
1) Beating Andy Roddick and going on to win the 2004 Cincinnati Masters with me present.
2) Coming from 2 sets to 0 down to defeat Andrei Medvedev, win the French Open, and complete the career grand slam.
3) Beating James Blake from 2 sets down in the 2005 U.S Open quarterfinals.
4) His last match with the great standing ovation at the end.
5) Beating Marcos Baghdatis in five sets in the 2006 U.S Open 2nd round.
6) Losing to Pete Sampras in the 2000 U.S Open quarterfinals, with zero service breaks throughout the match.
7) Winning his first career grand slam at the 1992 Wimbledon against Goran Ivansevic.
8) Coming out of nowhere to win the 1994 U.S Open.
9) Beating Todd Martin in five sets to win the 1999 U.S Open.
10) Storming through the 2003 Australian Open, dropping just one set.
Andre Agassi’s 21 year career has been dominated by irony. It’s ironic that he won his first grand slam at Wimbledon. He skipped out on Wimbledon early in his career, and his game was not thought to bold well on the fast grass. It’s ironic that Andre started his career trying to win matches quickly and he ended up trying to outlast his opponents. It’s ironic that Andre was out of shape early in his playing days and ended up being one of the most fit players in the history of tennis. It’s ironic that Andre didn’t play the Australian Open until 1995, and he ended up winning half of his grand slams there. It’s ironic that Andre was earlier called a “rebel” and now is one of the most elder statesmen for the game of tennis. It’s ironic that Andre started out with hair down past his neck, and ended up with none on top of his head at all. It’s ironic that Andre was thought never able to win a long, important 5 set match, and ended up winning so many. It’s ironic that Andre’s last of the 4 grand slams happened at the French, a place where he was thought to dominate for years. It’s ironic that he was seen as a punk for many years, and then by the end, was everyone’s favorite. It’s ironic he started dating big stars like Barbra Streisand and Brooke Shields, yet ended up marrying and having kids with another tennis player, Steffi Graf. The one constant has been those big brown eyes that are so true. 21 years full of irony everywhere you look.
As I close this chapter of Andre I find myself at a loss of words. That’s ironic in itself. I can spend hours, writing over 5,000 words about Andre, but at the end I have nothing.
Andre has provided me with moments of inspiration as well as moments of excitement. His career has lasted 21 years, that’s my exact same age as I write this. Andre was very, very close to being number one for this list. In fact, I think of him more as 1B when it is all said and done. I cannot thank my mother enough for introducing me to tennis, and more importantly to Andre Agassi. If not, I would have missed out on so much.
I have this feeling that one day I will meet Andre, maybe I will even get to teach at his high school. Who knows. When I finally do meet him I am going to thank him. Thank him for creating all those memories that I will never forget. I can’t. It’s only fitting that U2’s “One” is playing in the background as I finish this ode to Andre. For Andre will always be number one in my heart. I will leave you with Andre’s words after his last match.
"The scoreboard said I lost today, but what the scoreboard doesn’t say is what it is I have found. And over the last 21 years, I have found loyalty. You have pulled for me on 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 never have 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."
Legends live forever. Thank you Andre.
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