Caddickisms

Agassi’s final 8 minutes on court

Andre Agassi played his last professional match on Sunday, September 3, 2006. Check out the link above if, like me, you were unable to see it live. Also, read this article.

It seemed like Agassi was fighting tears as Benjamin Becker prepared to serve the match-ending ace that would also end Agassi’s career. Despite winning the match and enduring what was (from articles I’ve read) hostility by the crowd, Becker was very gracious and stepped aside to let Agassi have his final moment. Not that the crowd would have allowed anything else — there was at least a four-minute standing ovation as Agassi sat in his chair, tears flowing. His voice broke when he finally stood to address the crowd, thanking them for their support over his 21 year run at the U.S. Open.

From the coverage I’ve read, it seems Agassi was suffering even more than usual from his back injuries as he took to the court today. The pain was so bad that his father (who by all reports pushed Andre into tennis at an early age) asked him not to play to avoid permanent damage, and his coach stated that he wished he could pull Agassi out. In the end, he did play, obviously, but only managed to take one set in the match.

And with that, one of the greatest tennis players of all time has hung up his hat. From young rebel upstart to seasoned gentleman, Andre’s career and talent was one of the most impressive in the game. He will be sorely missed.

Technorati Tags: tennis, us open, Andre Agassi, Benjamin Becker, farewell

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Andre Agassi survived his battle with 8th seed Marcos Baghdatis tonight to move into the third round of play.

I only saw about half of the final set of this match, but what an interesting set. At over three hours long (when I joined), the whole match seemed to have been interesting, based on the scores. At 2-2 in the 5th, the players still seemed to be playing at the top of their form, and appropriately, they stayed on serve through the next few games.

Suddenly, in the middle of a game, Baghdatis was hopping around with a pained expression and then could barely move. Apparently, he had serious cramping in his thigh. More than once I thought he would have to concede with only a few games left to play. But somehow he managed to play through the game - even more impressively because he kept bringing the score back to deuce. In that game alone there were 21 points played. He got some treatment during the change-over, but had obviously not completely recovered as he continued to play through the pain.

It was painful to watch him move, honestly. But even more painful was the occasional booing he received. People are such idiots.

They stayed on serve until the final game. Some of the points were spectactular, especially given Baghdatis’ impairment. Some… not so much. It looked to me like Andre’s game was really thrown by watching his opponent limp around. But in the end, Andre took the match and will move on.

More Agassi to come!

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Andre Agassi began the end of his professional tennis career tonight with a great match vs. Andrei Pavel.

Like many people, I’ve been watching Andre Agassi for almost his entire career. Along with a very few others (including Sampras, Conners, and McEnroe), he has brought the sport to new heights of both talent and popularity. He’s also had his slumps. But when he was “on,” he was remarkable to watch.

As his body has started to succumb to injury he has lost some of his famous speed and power, but he is still a world-class tennis player. Tonight, he came out with guns blazing, gaining a quick break in the first set, then quickly found himself in a battle with Pavel, who refused to give Agassi any ground and broke him right back. At the end of the first set, Pavel firmly had the upper hand through the tie-breaker.

The second set had some great shots, and though it was close, Pavel continued to give Agassi trouble and again forced a tie-breaker. But this time, Agassi pulled through with a 10-8 lead.

Coming off that little victory to even up the match, Agassi should have been raring to go, but instead he faltered, seemingly unsure of himself and making unusual errors. I’d seen this happen to him in the past, and it’s the moment I dread in his matches. Typically, when he mentally loses the game it becomes a blood-bath — and this was no exception. Suddenly the two-hour old match seemed likely to end in short order, with Agassi down 0-4. When he called for some new rackets, however, he completely regained his focus and came alive, winning 5 games in a row.

With the third set score now 5-4, Pavel stepped it up enough to force yet another tie-breaker, but by this point it was obvious that Agassi was all but unstoppable. Agassi easily handled the tie break and began the fourth set with two quick breaks on his way to a 6-2 victory.

For the entire match, it was obvious that the crowd was firmly behind Agassi. When he lost the first set, there was almost complete silence in the stands. As the match progressed and the cheering for every Agassi point increased, Pavel was obviously annoyed by the fans’ partisan (and disrupting) behavior. By the time the final points were played at nearly 1am, the entire stadium was on its feet.

This being Agassi’s farewell event, it came as no surprise that the crowd would be firmly behind him, but Pavel should be proud of the way he played, and of the game that he gave Agassi and the fans. It was certainly the most exciting first round match I’ve ever seen. I haven’t been that emotionally invested in a match in years.

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