Tears flooded the Arthur Ashe Stadium when Andre Agassi finally bows out on the final match of his professional career as 24,000 supporters, peers, and family embraced him with their overflowing appreciation for the man who made a difference.
Maybe he shouldn't have played, being not physically well, but the thousands who filled the stadium at broad daylight deserved that much. He didn't want to disappoint them, not after these very people carried him through two more magical nights when time seemed to stop for Father Timeless. It seems fitting too, that when goodbye finally came, it was in the light of day, where he was able to see clearly the faces of the people who were sending him off to the next chapter of his life.
Much has been said and written, but as I watched the man “who changed how the game was played” lay it all out for the game he loved so well, I pondered on five things that I learned from being a spectator of the life of someone who, in his relatively young years, managed to earn for himself the title “great.”
- If your father pushed you too hard to be something growing up, marry someone he doesn't approve. Mike Agassi raised his children to be world-class tennis players, and with Andre he saw the realization of that dream. From infancy, he served tennis balls on Andre's plate. They had a strained relationship because of that and when he married Hollywood actress Brooke Shields, they stopped talking altogether. His father thought she would be a distraction to his tennis. He was right. So bad that as his marriage failed, he tanked his game. Talk about revenge. But that's alright, because when he finally acknowledged his mistake, he brought home someone who not only understands his profession perfectly to help him rebuild his career, but one with a heart that would melt his old man's and is up to the task of finally bringing father and son together.
- It's all right to be a punk when you're young, you'll grow into a well filled with wisdom anyway. Early on in his career, the flashy young Las Vegan captured many a tennis fan's fancy by his eccentric style in way of dressing in court and in play. He wasn't known to be the best athlete in the tour, but he stood out anyway. You would think that fame got into his head, with the foolhardy way he carried himself through matches, playing and having fits. Maybe he got bored with it, because years later, he started a foundation to educate the young. He didn't have so much formal education himself, as his life was built around the sport, but up until the end, he was one of the most eloquent ambassadors the game has ever had.
- When everyone else is counting you out, run up mountains. After dropping low in the rankings, Andre realized that he needed to be fit to improve his chances of redeeming himself. He wanted to be stronger. So he hired a trainer, Gil Reyes, who had such an impact in his life that when he had a son, he named him after Gil (Jaden Gil, Andre's oldest child). Together with his coach, first Brad Gilbert, then later Darren Cahill, he developed his game as he pumped weights and run up mountains. Needless to say, he achieved his goals. At the end of his career, he goes down in history as one of the only five men who achieved a Career Grand Slam.
- When you want someone so bad, it's OK to stalk. The door of the refrigerator that Andre shared with Brooke carried a picture of a woman whose legs Brooke admired. She apparently placed it there to inspire Andre to get fit. It seems funny now that not long after their marriage fell apart, Andre started to set his eyes on the woman on that picture – Steffi Graf. At a tournament, he hired a ferry operator to report her comings and goings. His coach then, Brad Gilbert, managed to track her practice sessions so they can schedule his after hers. During a tournament, he could see from his hotel room her balcony so that he saw when she came out carrying a bouquet of flowers that he sent. With the outcome, I dare say his method works.
- With the love from the people who watched you grow (and those who grew up watching you), you become superhuman. With his bad back, it was not even a certainty that Andre will be able to play the last of his matches at his home court in New York , where it all started for him 21 years ago. But, lo and behold, with the crowd fully backing him up, he managed to leave us all one more magical match to add up to his arsenal of good tennis memories. He did the unexpected, just before the expected came. It's that kind of will power, determination, and dignity that everyone, even non-tennis fans, can draw inspiration from.
The Agassi show has closed. It's a good thing videos come in handy..
