This summer’s favorite pirate once had a beloved dry-land predecessor.
He was a man who defied easy characterization, shedding labels and trying on new ones for size. When you thought you had him figured out as a lightweight, there was one more ready-to-wear persona–one part superhero, one part swashbuckler, one part rebel with a cause.
Long before Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow, Andre Agassi’s Andre Agassi had the lovable pirate thing going: the bandana, the earring, the wild hair and, instead of a gold tooth, an Olympic gold medal.
Image is everything? That was one snapshot, one of the countless faces Agassi adopted over two decades in which he transformed from uncouth brat to reflective, thinking-man’s tennis champion . . . right before our eyes.
Within a matter of days, we will be left with a final image of Agassi as he steps off the court after his last match at the U.S. Open.
After 60 singles titles–including eight Grand Slam singles championships, (two at the Open)–the fashion icon-turned-philanthropist plagued by an aching back will walk away at 36 before he has to hobble away.
But where exactly the tennis merry-go-round stops, well, nobody knows. It could be Monday night under the blazing New York lights against journeyman Andrei Pavel of Romania.
Or possibly Thursday under the blazing afternoon sun across the net from 2006 Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus.
Or will there be one more run deep into the second week, following the indelible footsteps of Jimmy Connors in 1991 and Pete Sampras in 2002?
Fortuitously, even for someone as accomplished as Agassi, there is considerable assistance in handling the tricky final days of a champion-facing-retirement gauntlet. Even better, help is as close as across the dinner table.
His wife and the mother of their two young children is Steffi Graf. She won 22 Grand Slam titles, retired from the sport in 1999 and set the template on graceful retirement.
“I think it has helped me and it helped me years ago, seeing her go through it,” Agassi said. “It takes a lot of anxiety away from the day when you decide to do it. She doesn’t even recognize life … before kids.”
Unlike Agassi, Graf’s last match was played with little fanfare a few weeks after she lost in the Wimbledon final to Lindsay Davenport.
And it came only days after her first date with Agassi. He clearly enjoyed telling the story of their first dinner, a few short hours after he lost to Sampras in the final in Los Angeles and wasn’t bothered by the loss in the least. But Agassi, ever the meticulous planner, was caught off guard by Graf.
“I was prepared for a three-hour dinner … she ate faster than I did,” he said, smiling.
Their dinners continued a few weeks later in New York, where Agassi won his second U.S. Open title, defeating Todd Martin.
Though he tested the outer limits, Agassi knew he would have to end his career sometime and somewhere. It made theatrical sense to wrap it up at a Grand Slam. But where?
Wimbledon? The first of his eight major titles, almost a startling bolt from conventional wisdom in 1992.
The Australian Open? The scene of his most successful Slam, the place where he won four times and once famously took the plunge into the not-so-clean Yarra River.
The French Open? The final piece of the Slam set. Agassi became one of five men to win all four majors in a career, although he nearly didn’t make the trip to Paris in 1999 because of a sore shoulder. Once there, he survived major deficits four times, including in the final against Andrei Medvedev.
Or … the U.S. Open? The wins, the losses in four finals. They included the gripping 22-shot rally in 1995 against Sampras and an electric five-set quarterfinal victory last year over James Blake on the way to the final against Roger Federer. And on and on …
“It’s my home turf,” Agassi said. “That’s where I figure it’s best to end. I really didn’t think about it beyond where I really had some of my best memories. I grew up, it feels like, in front of New Yorkers.
“They taught me a lot about myself. They helped me grow personally and professionally. They made me a better tennis player and a better person. It’s a great environment to be your last.”
The tributes to Agassi, the person, are perhaps more numerous in his final days on the tour than accolades about the player. That is a far cry from early Andre. He was hardly the popular figure among his colleagues and the public in the late 1980s and early ’90s, but he managed to complete perhaps the most dramatic public turnaround among sports figures.
Think Terrell Owens becoming a beloved national treasure in about 10 years, and you get the general idea.
No one could better comment on one bad boy than another former bad boy: John McEnroe on Agassi. The only true turnaround in the same neighborhood as Agassi, McEnroe said, could be a chubby boxer with one truly effective grilling machine: George Foreman.
“He played off that image-is-everything scenario,” McEnroe said of Agassi. “He always, to me, was a smart guy, sort of a reflective guy. Even at an early age.
“I find it nonetheless rather amazing he’s made this transformation. It reminds me of George Foreman. A lot of people felt [Foreman] was surly, not friendly. There were times where Andre did get a chip on his shoulder, but for the most part, he seemed pretty likable. He was able to [go through a] metamorphosis. George did the same. All of a sudden he became this lovable teddy bear.”
Agassi’s transformation was broken down in a recent extended profile in Sports Illustrated. So how did Agassi enjoy being psychoanalyzed in print?
“I wish it would have happened when I was 13,” he said, laughing. “It might have saved me some dramas.”
One of Agassi’s early coaches, Nick Bollettieri, said:
“He changed the appearance of the game in reference to dress. He changed the appearance of the game with his long hair, changed the appearance of having an entourage on the road with him.
“The guy was just able to do things people said could not be done.”
That went well beyond the uncanny hand-eye coordination and a seemingly unparalleled service return.
Almost every prolonged conversation about Agassi eventually includes his considerable charitable activities, starting with his foundation and school in Las Vegas.
“Besides Lance Armstrong, I don’t think there’s another guy that’s raised as much money as Andre,” McEnroe said. “To start a school like that. The way he’s presented himself now, cut the hair and he dedicated himself to the sport, become this incredible ambassador. Now we just have to find a way to keep him around after he stops playing after this event. You still want him to be part of the sport somehow.”
Agassi’s close friend and manager, Perry Rogers, paused when asked about Agassi’s legacy. He recalled the time they brought comedian/actor Dennis Miller over to the school in Las Vegas. Rogers looked at Miller.
“I said, `Are you OK?’ He had tears in his eyes,” Rogers said. “I was thinking this is the way life is supposed to be. Andre’s lived his life the way you’re supposed to live it.”
Agassi says he is looking forward to a little less structure in his world, although it’s doubtful he will take much of a prolonged breather.
“The first thing I just look forward to is not having a schedule, starting each day with what I want my life to look like, as opposed to what do I have to do today,” he said.
How about skydiving or bungee jumping?
“No, life has enough thrills for me,” he said.
Instead, business will be in the forefront. Plans for a luxury hotel in Idaho to be built by 2008 have been launched by Agassi and Graf.
Before that, there remains one more tennis tournament, one more time to hold the sport in thrall. This will be his 21st U.S. Open, and if he had defeated Federer in last year’s stirring four-set final, would his Open resume have stopped at No. 20?
Agassi didn’t even hesitate.
“No, because it’s not about winning,” he said. “It has nothing to do with my choice. If anything, it would have inspired me to have to be tolerated longer.”
This way Agassi can have some semblance of control, doing it his way with his friends and family members on hand for his final match.
Players to watch
Five men and five women to keep your eye on at the U.S. Open, which begins Monday.
MEN, SD, COMMENT
Roger Federer, 1, Has won 8 of last 13 Slams; reached final in last 5. Won 7 singles titles in 2006.
Rafael Nadal, 2, Only major where he hasn’t been past 3rd round. Only major titles at French (’05-06).
Ivan Ljubicic, 3, Big serve could carry him far in Flushing, but 27-year-old has never won a major.
James Blake, 5, Highest seeding at a major. Has lost in 3rd round at all majors in ’06.
Marcos Baghdatis, 8, Could face Andre Agassi in 2nd round. Just 29-15 in ’06 without a singles title.
WOMEN, SD, COMMENT
Amelie Mauresmo, 1, Aims for 3rd major title of 2006. Made quarterfinals here each of last 3 years.
J. Henin-Hardenne, 2, Pulled out of hardcourt tuneup events, citing knee injury. Has 46-6 mark in ’06.
Maria Sharapova, 3, 27-4 record on hardcourts in 2006. Semifinals or better in 6 of her last 9 majors.
Martina Hingis, 8, Made Open semifinals every year from 1996-2001. Only 1 singles title in 2006.
Nicole Vaidisova, 9, 17-year-old broke through at French, beating Mauresmo and Venus Williams.
Agassi’s career highlights
1987
Won first ATP title in Itaparica, Brazil.
1990
Reached first Grand Slam final at French Open.
1992
Won first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon.
1994
Won first U.S. Open title, first unseeded U.S. champion since Fred Stolle in 1966.
1995
Won first Australian Open title. Reached No. 1 ranking for first time.
1996
Won Olympic gold medal in men’s singles.
1997
Played in only one Grand Slam event, losing in the fourth round of the U.S. Open. . . . The Andre Agassi Boys & Girls Club opened in Las Vegas. . . . Married actress Brooke Shields.
1998
Made biggest one-year jump into Top 10 in history of ATP rankings (since 1973) by climbing from 122 previous year to No. 6.
1999
Won first French Open to complete career Grand Slam. Won second U.S. Open and finished year No. 1 for first time. . . . Divorced Shields, ending two-year marriage.
2000
Won second Australian Open title. Became first player to reach four straight Grand Slam finals since Rod Laver in 1969.
2001
Won third Australian Open. . . . The Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, a charter school for at-risk youth, opened in West Las Vegas. . . . Married Steffi Graf, who gave birth to first child, son Jaden Gil.
2002
Lost to Sampras in U.S. Open final.
2003
Won fourth Australian Open. . . . Daughter Jaz Elle was born.
2004
Became sixth player in Open era to reach 800 career victories.
2005
Lost to Roger Federer in U.S. Open final.
2006
Announced he will retire from tennis after the U.S. Open.
