Been wanting to write this post for a long time. Actually only for two weeks or so. A tribute to Andre Agassi. But a sudden rumour forced me to postpone. The rumour grew into a fact on sunday night and that means i get to go ahead with my tribute. The rumour i refer to - Michael Schumacher retiring.
Now how the hell is that related to Andre Agassi. They are both legendary sportsmen. True, but thats not it. They were supremely fit sportsmen who reached many summits when they were among the oldest practitioners in their respective sports. True, but thats not it. They were two of the most marketed sportsmen. True, but thats not it. They are maried to Germans. True, but thats not it.
The reason.......I hated them both. I used to curse Andre everytime he slapped a forehand return winner to a 130 mph first serve from Sampras. Abused Michael when he clinically pulled out one fastest lap over another in bloody wet conditions, making times that would put to shame the timings that some backmarkers used to make in dry conditons. I would love to add more on Michael but that can wait till Interlagos. Me shall stick to Andre for now.
Its only after the 1999 Wimbledon Finals, that i started liking Andre. More specifically it was after his comment of "Pete could have walked on water today" after losing that made me see the character of the man. He had just won the French. Oh, how i hated him for that. He had a French Open which Pete will never own. I didnt even care for how he won the French. Made no difference to me that he came back from two sets to nil down against Andrei Medvedev.
At the end of the French Open everyone was talking about how the love of Anke Huber had brought back the best of Medvedev, when at the same time Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi were busy falling in love. They had met many times before (including the Champions ball at Wimbledon in 1992) but they really noticed each other at the dinner after the French Open in 1999. Graf had beaten Hingis in three sets the previous day and i guess it easy to fall in love with each other when you both happen to be multiple Grand Slam champions. They seem perfect for each other. Steffi never cried after winning, she hardly smiled. Steffi retired the day after she lost the Wimbledon finals in 1999 to Davenport. No tears, no smiles. Just a brief press statement.
Andre certainly couldnt do that could he. He was from Las Vegas for crying out loud and crying out loud is what he did. He also made one heck of a speech. It was in another post match speech that I started to like him. Like i said before - "Pete could have walked on water today" and with that one statement he had one more person cheering him on. If Pete loses cheer for Andre, unless Pete loses to Andre. If that happens abuse every single member of the Agassi clan from Las Vegas to Teheran.
But now, Andre has made his teary farewell and it hits me straight in the gut, like a tennis ball annihilated by Roddick's serve, that i am really gonna miss Andre. Pete could never be Pete without Andre. So much so, i now feel Pete needed Andre more than Andre needed Pete. When Andre first started playing McEnroe had won his eight slams, Wilander had none, Becker had two, Pete wasnt a pro and a 5 year old kid named Roger must have been dreaming of milking cows in Switzerland.
When Andre retires - Becker has long gone, so has Edberg, Pete retired with 14, Federer has won 9. My point is Andre seems to have been through 3 generations of tennis players. Pete was a brilliant player but Andre had more fans and more people to cheer him because of the fact that he was not perfect. He was a brash teenager who boycotted Wimbledon because of the London club's all-white dress code. He was a flashy young twenty year old who had a hollywood wife and three slams. Then, best of all, he was the man who lost it all - his hollywood wife, his fitness-he became really fat (for a tennis player), his hair and most importantly- his game. So much so he played in challenger tournaments.
But comeback he did. His career has been a kind of beacon for everyone of us. A true example of how one can make it back to the top with sincerity and hard work. He got back all - a legendary wife and two kids, super fitness and most important, his game - 5 slams. Of course, he didnt get his hair back.
When Pete retired, we got Roger. Who do we have for Andre ??
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