The saga of one of the greatest players ever the courts produced came to an end at the center court at the 2006 US Open on Sunday. The tears said it all.
Sporting a crazy cap, colorful T-shirts and redefining style in tennis, this Las Vegan had already made people talk. People had written him off, thinking he is just another guy with an attitude, that would bring him down and he proved them all wrong. His game did all the talking. He is the only player who has won all the Grand Slams and also the Davis Cup and the Olympic gold. Now, that sure speaks volumes about his abilities. Agassi did not play Wimbledon for sometime, as he openly stated that he was against the traditionalisms they imposed on the game. People thought his baseline game would not suit the courts of Wimbledon, but surprisingly his Grand Slam breakthrough came in Wimbledon in the next couple of years, when he finally decided to play there and he did play there sporting white T-shirts, shrugging his colorful ones. The Sampras Agassi rivalry was always exciting to watch (I shall always remain a Sampras fan, but do admire Agassi’s game). The French Open is always the elusive title and Agassi has captured that as well. His hand-eye coordination is impeccable and his volleys are always entertaining to watch.
He was one of the players who combined strategy and mobility. I always enjoy his lofted volleys and drop shots. He has the best return-of-serve and there is no question about that. He was not the one to shoot aces down the line in every match; predominantly a baseline player Agassi was very good at judging the opponent. He made them rally and conserve his energy; he always played the mind game. Power tennis took a back seat when Agassi was around. In 1998 he bounced back to the no. 6 spot at the end of the year, after plummeting to an all time low of 141. He has gone a long way since then. Married to another sports legend Steffi Graf, he had a bet with her that she should play with him if he won the Australian open (which he apparently did not win) This guy has been candid all his career and has always spoken his heart out. Tennis is sure to miss one of its greatest players and this year also marks the last game of another of Tennis’s legends Martina Navratilova…she is another player I can write sequels about.
~Adieu Agassi
