Andre Agassi finally closed the books on his 21 year tennis career. New York was a fitting place to pay final homage to the fans that supported him for so many years. Although he said farewell to the home crowd, he was saying goodbye to the world. Aggasi was probably the most beloved and admired tennis player worldwide. It wasn't just the people of New York and of the US, but it was tennis fans from everywhere and of all ages who admired him for his skill and his character. The ovation in the stands continuing right into the players room made his farewell memmorable. To be honored, not by teammates but by the players that he battled so feircly against made this day truly special. It wasn't that he was able to dominate in the US Open but that he came out and gave everything he had for the love of the sport and to give what little he could back to the fans that made him a true champion.
Agassi had a phenominal career being ranked in the top ten in three different decades. He had his share of ups and downs throughout his career but it was those difficult times that molded him into tennis' greatest ambasador. He was not always as respected. In his early days, Agassi was rebellious, following in the steps of McEnroe and Connors. The mid 90's found Agassi in a downward spiral, declining in the rankings all of the way to 141 but he percerveered. Following his decline he made the biggest one-year jump in ATP history and found himself back in the top ten. It was the first time that Agassi was the mature tennis role model, showing his appreciation for tennis, the fans and his opponents. His accomplishments as a tennis player have proven him a champion but it was in the individual matches that made him one of the greatest players of all time. He was able to delight and inspire the crowds with his determination and his ability to track down balls right up to his final match.
Agassi came into his final US Open overcoming the pain in his back to put on a show. His first match against Andrei Pavel took far too long and it looked as though he wasn't going to last long, but against all odds he was able to come back strong in his second round match with Marcos Baghdatis. This five setter was full of drama and will be remembered as one of his greatest matches. It was an incredible feat to watch, remeniscent of the previous years match with James Blake. This match left people awestruck and fumbling for words to describe it, to the point that they were making up words. "Fantasmagorical" was how Bud Collins of the Boston Globe put it. Agassi layed it all on the line and was in no position to play Benjamin Becker in the third round. It was somewhat anti-climatical for Agassi to go out against Becker but it felt right. The flood of emotion and sense of relief that it was finally over brought the fans to their feet. The standing ovation that lasted nearly ten minutes followed by Agassi's heartfelt speech will be forever remembered in tennis history. The honor and respect of the players in the player's room will be cherished for a lifetime.
