Page: 1 2
flipfanatic
Head Administrator
Global user (premium)
Registered: 02-2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 1141
|
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Agassi's last stand / A Fitting Finale for Agassi
Agassi's last stand
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - When the 2006 U.S. Open gets underway next week, all eyes will be on Andre Agassi as the American tennis icon performs in his last professional tournament. The Las Vegas native announced earlier this season that he would conclude his 20-year career at the Open, where he is a two-time winner and four-time runner-up.
The last time that the former world No. 1 Agassi played Agassi-like tennis was at last year's U.S. Open, where the ageless wonder advanced all the way to the final and actually took a set off the amazing Roger Federer before succumbing to the reigning Big Apple champ. The A-Train needed to win three straight five-set matches just to reach the prestigious final.
The 36-year-old Agassi has been slowed by, among other things, a bad back over the last couple of years and decided that this season would be his last on the grueling ATP circuit.
The eight-time Grand Slam champion captured his U.S. Open titles in 1994 and 1999 and was the runner-up in Flushing in 1990, 1995, 2002 and last year. That's six U.S. Open finals if you're counting at home (and it's still six even if you're not).
Andre is a career 77-18 in his previous 20 trips to the Open, where he's played every year since 1986. Wow! Only his fellow great Jimmy Connors (98-17) has tallied more U.S. Open match victories than Agassi in the Open Era.
The legendary Agassi is a pedestrian 8-7 overall this year and his last outing resulted in a stunning second-round loss against little-known Italian Andrea Stoppini in D.C. His longest winning streak this season is two matches, which he's done in just three of his seven events. Agassi's lost his tournament-opening match twice this year, and has won only two titles over the last three seasons.
I think I hear the fat lady singing.
Can Agassi go out with a bang like his arch-rival Pete Sampras did at the Open at Andre's expense four years ago? Sampras handled Agassi in the Flushing final in 2002 to cap his awesome career with a record 14th Grand Slam title.
As for Agassi's chances at this year's Open, my gut feeling tells me he won't get out of the first week at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. But much stranger things have happened.
By the way, can the new name of the National Tennis Center be any longer? I think the only thing missing is a sponsor name. On opening night (Monday), the facility will officially be renamed to honor the legendary former star player and women's sports pioneer that is Billie Jean King.
Back to the Open.
Obviously, Federer is the favorite on the men's side in New York, while the women feature a few contenders, most notably two-time 2006 Grand Slam winner Amelie Mauresmo and three-time '06 major finalist Justine Henin-Hardenne. Kim Clijsters will not be on hand to defend her lone Grand Slam title after injuring her left wrist in Montreal last week. Clijsters topped Mary Pierce in last year's Open finale.
Federer will be seeking his ninth major title when he arrives in the Apple, where he's the reigning two-time champ. The super Swiss also currently holds the Australian Open and Wimbledon titles. He's the reigning four-time winner at the storied All England Club.
Only five men have won more Grand Slam singles titles than the graceful Federer (Sampras, Roy Emerson, Bjorn Borg, Rod Laver and Bill Tilden), and he's currently tied with five other guys at eight wins (Fred Perry, Agassi, Connors, Ken Rosewall and Ivan Lendl).
The world No. 1 Federer appeared a bit vulnerable last week when he lost to rising Brit Andy Murray in straight sets at the Masters event in Cincinnati. It marked the Swiss' first loss in 63 matches this year against someone other than Rafael Nadal and also halted the Fed's North American hardcourt winning streak at 55, which dated back to 2004, in Cincy.
Roger Federer is seeking a U.S. Open three-peat.
Last year, Federer became the first man since Don Budge in 1937-38 to win back-to-back Wimbledon and U.S. Open championships in consecutive years. He hasn't lost at the Open since his nemesis David Nalbandian stopped him there in the fourth round in 2003.
Federer, of course, can expect a challenge from the two-time French Open champion Nadal, who is 4-1 this year against the cool Swiss, with one of the wins coming in the Roland Garros finale. The loss came at the hands of Federer in the Wimbledon championship bout.
Although three of Nadal's victories over Federer have come on clay this season, the 20-year-Spaniard also stopped the sublime Swiss in a hardcourt final in Dubai, which is an important note considering the U.S. Open is staged on a hardcourt, one of Federer's dominant surfaces.
Don't look now, but Andy Rod**** may be primed for a run in New York. The brash American is fresh off his first title of 2006 after running the table in Cincy last week. The former world No. 1 star has struggled through a good portion of this season, but his massive serve is always a dangerous weapon and he did capture his lone major title at the Open just three years ago.
The only other American to talk about other than Agassi and Rod**** is James Blake, who typically doesn't fare very well at the Slams, with the exception of last year's Open, where he lost to Agassi in an epic five-set quarterfinal clash at Ashe Stadium. Blake blew a two-sets-to-love lead in that one, as Agassi ultimately prevailed in a fifth-set tiebreak in a classic.
We also have to keep our eyes on the world No. 4 Nalbandian and this year's breakthrough story Marcos Baghdatis. Nalbandian was the Wimbledon runner-up in 2002 and is the reigning Tennis Masters Cup champ as a result of his huge victory over Federer in a final in Shanghai last year. Baghdatis, meanwhile, stunned the tennis world by landing in the Aussie Open finale back in January, and got our attention again by reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon just last month. The excitable Cypriot lost to Federer in the Aussie final, but did manage to take a set off the supreme Swiss, and gave way to Nadal in the final four at the venerable AEC.
I'd say Baggy's legit.
One other fella to watch out for is third-ranked Croat Ivan Ljubicic. He hasn't typically produced his best results at majors in the past, but he did reach the Aussie Open quarters (Baghdatis) and French Open semis (Nadal) this year, marking the best Grand Slam results of his career.
My honorable mention category features the likes of Tommy Haas and 2001 U.S. Open winner and 2004 runner-up Lleyton Hewitt.
Amelie Mauresmo has already won two of the three majors this season.
On the ladies' side, the world No. 1 Mauresmo will seek her third major in four tries this season, while the former top-ranked Henin-Hardenne will be in search of her sixth career Grand Slam, and her second of the year. Mauresmo bested Henin-Hardenne in the Aussie Open and Wimbledon finals, while JH-H got past steady Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova in the French Open finale. Henin- Hardenne captured the U.S. Open in 2003 by erasing Clijsters in the all-Belgian final.
The former world No. 1 Clijsters would have been one of the favorites this year, but that bum wrist will keep her sidelined, probably for the next two months.
Outside of Mauresmo and Henin-Hardenne, the players to really watch are the 2004 U.S. Open champ Kuznetsova and 2004 Wimbledon winner and former No. 1 Maria Sharapova. Kuznetsova has played great tennis all year long, while Sharapova recently titled at a hardcourt US Open Series event in San Diego, where she upset Clijsters in the final.
The American contenders among the women are a trio former world No. 1s -- Lindsay Davenport, Venus Williams and Serena Williams. Davenport has appeared in only two events since March due to a bad back, while Serena has competed in only three events all season due to, I guess, a variety of reasons? Venus, on the other hand, has been downright busy compared to Davenport and her younger sister, as she's competed in a whopping five tourneys this year, but has yet to reach a final. Davenport, Serena and Venus, combined, have no finals appearances among them in 2006. When's the last time that happened?
For the record, Davenport captured the Open back in 1998 and was the runner-up in 2000, while Serena is a two-time winner (1999, 2002) and was the 2001 runner-up to Venus and Venus is a two-time champ (2000-01) and two-time runner-up (1997, 2002).
Two other female contenders could be Martina "Swiss Miss" Hingis and 2004 Open runner-up Elena Dementieva, who recently corralled a hardcourt title in Los Angeles. The former top-ranked Hingis is fresh off her runner-up finish at the Tier I Rogers Cup event in Montreal.
Hingis won the U.S. Open in '97 and was the back-to-back runner-up in 1998 and '99. She hasn't performed in Flushing since 2002, due to an injury-induced retirement that lasted until the end of last year.
The only other women I think I need to mention are Nadia Petrova, Patty Schnyder and Nicole Vaidisova. And there, I mentioned them.
So who's gonna win this thing? Expect a three-peat from Federer; and I like JH-H to nail down her second major of the year, even though there really is no clear-cut choice among the women.
FYI, the instant replay challenge system will make its Grand Slam debut in Flushing.
A Fitting Finale for Agassi
by Mark Preston
Posted Date: Thursday, August 10, 2006
WHERE ELSE WOULD IT END? Where else could it end? What more perfect conclusion could there be to the Magical Mystery Tour that has been the career of Andre Agassi than one final bow on the great stage of the US Open? A career—a life, really—come full circle. Bigger-than-life, bold, brash, explosive in style and personality, Andre Agassi swaggered into the US Open as a 16-year-old phenom with big hair, a bigger forehand and an enormous presence. The Open—and tennis, for that matter—would never be the same.
As hard as it may be to believe for those of us who still have a vague idea of the whereabouts of our denim shorts, Agassi’s US Open debut was 20 summers ago. When he steps onto the hard floor of Arthur Ashe Stadium this year, Agassi will be playing his 21st consecutive US Open. That, in itself, is a staggering feat.
But to gauge Agassi’s impact on the US Open—or the Open’s impact on Agassi—merely in measure of longevity would be to miss many big points. No, this is not the place where he won his first Grand Slam title; that would be Wimbledon in 1992. Neither is this the spot where he’s won his most Grand Slam titles. Twice a winner here, he has won twice as many times at the Aussie Open. But the connection between Agassi and the US Open isn’t about "first," or about "most." It’s about those things that last.
Over the course of these two unforgettable decades, both Agassi and the Open have defined—and redefined—themselves any number of times. Each has often been an integral part of the other’s growth. Each has impacted and left an indelible mark on the other. Maybe it’s because all of the aforementioned adjectives that define Agassi also define the Open. Whatever the reason, this much is for sure: This is Agassi’s place, his event, his crowd. Others may have won more, but few have meant more.
Agassi understood, from the start, what a New York stage is all about. On so many occasions and on so many levels, he has delivered the spectacular, the singular sort of magic that only can be found in Flushing, and even then, only can be produced by the most remarkable of prestidigitators.
It didn’t take long for that magic to begin. New Yorkers love the swagger, love those who can put it on the line and then back it up. And two first-round losses in his first two years here did nothing to shake Agassi’s confidence or belief that he belonged. After his 1988 straight-set quarterfinal win over Jimmy Connors—their first-ever meeting in a Grand Slam event—18-year-old Agassi allowed that the match had gone pretty much as he’d expected, only that he figured the nine games he’d allowed Connors might have been differently distributed. "I predicted to a buddy that it would be 3, 3 and 3," said Agassi.
The media ate it up, Connors got fired up. "He shouldn't say things like that because I'll be playing him again," said Connors. "He just made a bad mistake, which I’ll remember." Agassi lost in the next round, but he’d officially arrived.
And he stayed. He did again play Connors the following year and this time it took him five sets to win en route to another semifinal run. A year after that, in 1990, he reached the final here for the first time and began, in earnest, what would become one of the greatest rivalries in the history of this sport. Pete Sampras won that match, the first of his record 14 Grand Slam singles titles, but even on that day, there was something about that pairing that suggested it would play perfectly on the New York stage. Like Bialystock and Bloom, Agassi and Sampras seemed mated to be feted, destined to take their ultimate star turn on Broadway.
The two met here four times, and all of those—including the three finals in which they went head-to-head—were won by Sampras. But the quality of those matches resonates still, hovers in the US Open air on thick summer nights. There was the 1995 final that Agassi lost after winning everything the entire summer. There was the classic quarterfinal in 2001; the definitive final-Sunday sort of showdown held, this time, on a Wednesday. And there was the final final for the two in 2002, ending a rivalry that had lifted both men—and this event—to sensational heights.
"Andre is the best I've ever played," said Sampras afterward. "Playing against him, those moments are great moments, because you know you’re competing against the best."
Agassi’s two titles here—in 1994 and 1999—were very different and yet very similar, each defining the essence of a champion in their own particular way. He played here in ’94 as an unseeded player, after wrist surgery in ’93 had sliced into his ranking. But the fact that there was no number next to his name mattered little, as Agassi spit out five seeds en route to his first Open title, the first unseeded man to win the U.S. title in 28 years.
"Andre’s run in ’94 was a great story," says Jim Courier, an Agassi contemporary and himself a four-time Grand Slam champion. "But not because he won as an unseeded player. I think Andre not being seeded was much more of an upset than him winning the tournament. We all knew he obviously had the ability to win.
"What was most impressive about that win is the fact that he battled back, because he could just as easily have walked off into another career at that time. But he chose the hard road. He put in the time, and he didn’t fake it. He didn’t cut any corners and he started to maximize his ability and winning the Open was his reward for that."
Conversely, Agassi’s 1999 US Open win was an exclamation point on a career year in which he won five titles, including two Slams, became only the fifth man in the history of the sport to win all four Slams in his career, and finished the year ranked No.1. After Agassi came back from a 2-sets-to-one deficit to defeat Todd Martin, he shared his feelings about his relationship with the US Open.
"I feel like New York, all the people here, have really made me feel like I'm at home," Agassi said. "They've watched me grow up, and it's hard not to care on some level when you watch somebody develop from a teenager who says and does a lot of the wrong things to a person who gets out there and appreciates the opportunities.
"This is the most special place in the world for me to play. I'm convinced of it."
"I think Andre has come to appreciate every single thing in his life," says Mary Carillo. "He’s very introspective and reflective. Andre loves the process, and that’s why he could just as easily be a guy flipping his own scorecards at Challengers as playing at the US Open. Yeah, there were years when he squandered some chances, but now I think he gets it more than anyone gets it. Nothing is lost on him anymore, and I think that inside his head, he’s processed all of his US Open experiences and the reaction he gets from the New York crowd every time he walks out there means the world to him."
Agassi admitted as much in addressing the press after his instant-classic quarterfinal win over James Blake at last year’s Open, saying, "People have asked me, "What does the Open mean to you? Well, that’s what it means—what you just saw out there. It's 1:15 in the morning, 20,000 people out there…. There's no place like it. That only happens here in New York."
New York. Where else would it end?
Last edited by flipfanatic, 26/Aug/06, 20:57
---
"Nothing in life is easy. You have to fight. It is just another set back... One thing I know is that I’m going to take care of it and go again. It’s the only thing that I can do. It’s the only thing I want to do. " - Mark
|
|
26/Aug/06, 20:30
|
Send Email to flipfanatic
Send PM to flipfanatic
|
Marcia5
Registered user
Global user
Registered: 02-2006
Posts: 465
|
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Re: Agassi's last stand / A Fitting Finale for Agassi
Thanks, Val. It's hard to believe that it has been four years since Sampras retired. I think one reason that it's great that Agassi has been so active with other involvements outside of tennis in recent years is that I think he will have an easier transition into the next stage of his life than Sampras has had.
I hope Lindsey Davenport can pull it together (she's losing badly to JH-H as I type this) and make this a match!!!
This may be a very interesting US Open this year.
|
|
27/Aug/06, 2:25
|
Send Email to Marcia5
Send PM to Marcia5
|
Marcia5
Registered user
Global user
Registered: 02-2006
Posts: 465
|
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Re: Agassi's last stand / A Fitting Finale for Agassi
It was an exciting match to watch--great that Andre fought hard to come back.
I would also like to pay tribute to the great Billie Jean King, for whom the USTA Tennis Center was named last night. She is a hero to me. Her efforts are the reason I became interested in tennis. She has done SO much to get Americans (and maybe others around the world) involved in tennis--her work has provided many opportunities for both men and women. It took so much courage and determination for her throughout her life to challenge sexism and usually, to beat it. As Chris Evert said last night, many took the easy way out, but change resulted only when King refused to take the same path. The USTA deserves credit for honoring her appropriately, and for doing that rather than selling off the name to some corporation.
Last edited by Marcia5, 29/Aug/06, 23:59
|
|
29/Aug/06, 23:58
|
Send Email to Marcia5
Send PM to Marcia5
|
DianeH
Registered user
Global user
Registered: 07-2006
Posts: 5
|
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Re: Agassi's last stand / A Fitting Finale for Agassi
IT'S interesting what gets lost in translation on the newswires. i was reading article in SMH about the Agassi match and it said that Pavel left the court twice. He didn't leave at ALL! He called the trainer once and that was it. unless this all happend while i was in the bathroom.
Even those reports of Mark from my town were weird and spelling Binghamton wrong.....ugh
great match last nite. now i'm desperate for tix to his next one as they 're saying ALL tickets are sold even grounds passes. so cross your fingers for me!!!!!
|
|
30/Aug/06, 5:40
|
Send Email to DianeH
Send PM to DianeH
|
PattyW
Registered user
Global user
Registered: 02-2006
Posts: 82
|
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Re: Agassi's last stand / A Fitting Finale for Agassi
It must have been a great experience for you, Diane! An event of a lifetime.
Pavel left the court once that I saw on TV but it was a really quick bathroom break -- the commentators said that he accomplished it on a standard change-over.
|
|
30/Aug/06, 11:42
|
Send Email to PattyW
Send PM to PattyW
|
dbc
Registered user
Global user
Registered: 02-2006
Posts: 101
|
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Re: Agassi's last stand / A Fitting Finale for Agassi
Saw Pavel's interview. He did have 2 bathroom breaks. He had stomach cramps, when asked if it was nerves he said he didn't know, but that when he needed to go, he had to get to the bathroom Quick!
It was a good match & enjoyed Andre's interview with Johnny Mac on the court at the end.
As for BJK, I went off her when she was playing. She had an abortion as itwould have interrupted her career. Somehow that doesn't seem to come up in the bios. She has cone a lot for women's tennis, but at what a price.
|
|
30/Aug/06, 20:12
|
Send Email to dbc
Send PM to dbc
|
redlantern2051
Registered user
Global user
Registered: 02-2006
Posts: 91
|
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Re: Agassi's last stand / A Fitting Finale for Agassi
I didn't know that about BJK. I don't know much about her, apart from what a great inspiration she was, but I actually thought she was a lesbian. (Dave wanders away to check wikipedia) Well, it turns out she had a husband for quite a few years, and did have an abortion, in 1971-the same year began a relationship with her female secretary.
Wikipedia says: "On a PBS program on March 20, 2005, she discussed the fact that her sexual side has been the greatest struggle of her life. She pointed out that she came from a personally conservative background, which worked against her being open about her orientation, as contrasted with less inhibited players such as Martina Navratilova."
I pretty much knew this. I remember I had a favorite YA book in primary school, which in the back advertised another book about Billie Jean King, and I think that although it was mostly focused on her early years, I think it had a certain subtext.
All in all, it sounds like she has been a pretty big role-model to many people, and her accomplishments on court are quite impressive indeed! I hope you all enjoyed this little trip down memory lane... 
---
Dave's Live Journal: http://redlantern2051.livejournal.com/
|
|
30/Aug/06, 21:21
|
Send Email to redlantern2051
Send PM to redlantern2051
|
redlantern2051
Registered user
Global user
Registered: 02-2006
Posts: 91
|
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Re: Agassi's last stand / A Fitting Finale for Agassi
And on the topic of Andre...TOTALLY AMAZING!!!
---
Dave's Live Journal: http://redlantern2051.livejournal.com/
|
|
30/Aug/06, 21:23
|
Send Email to redlantern2051
Send PM to redlantern2051
|
redlantern2051
Registered user
Global user
Registered: 02-2006
Posts: 91
|
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Re: Agassi's last stand / A Fitting Finale for Agassi
Well, what a day for Andre fans, I am still coming down off the massive high of this match!!! I had an annual leave day today, and was priveleged to see one of the finest matches I have ever seen played!!! Andre the champ!!! He left nothing in the locker room today. Baghadatis was very dangerous, it went almost all the way to a 5th set TB, but Andre managed to seal it just b4 it got to that...but it was just so emotional to watch, knowing Andre was playing at this high level but it still might be his last ever match...when he won, and Johnny Mac was interviewing him, I started to cry, I'm not ashamed AT ALL to say.
I know I have said it b4 but Andre has been a massive inspiration to me, all my life, (well at least since the late 80's when I first saw him!) and this tournament for me is something special, and I will always treasure, just like I remember that victory in Paris in 99, or his first Slam win at Wimby in 92, and so on, all the great clashes thru the years, against all the greats of his time. Nearly every Slam I have a match in my memory bank that involves Andre-sometimes it is heartbreaking, often exultant.
Andre has given so much to the game, and for me he transcends the sport itself. It saddens me to think that come Oz Open time there will be no Andre in the draw, but I just want to treasure this tournament, and the efforts of this wonderful player and human being who always reminds me to believe in yourself, trust your ability, and never give up.
A magnificent match!!!! GO ANDRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
---
Dave's Live Journal: http://redlantern2051.livejournal.com/
|
|
1/Sep/06, 18:21
|
Send Email to redlantern2051
Send PM to redlantern2051
|
flipfanatic
Head Administrator
Global user (premium)
Registered: 02-2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 1141
|
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Re: Agassi's last stand / A Fitting Finale for Agassi
It really was an awesome match.
It's unfortunate though that Baghdatis cramped badly in the last few games.
I would have liked to seem them both duke it out in the last games as hard as they had been all evening.
I'm sure Agassi's next opponent was glad to see a really tough 5 setter.
---
"Nothing in life is easy. You have to fight. It is just another set back... One thing I know is that I’m going to take care of it and go again. It’s the only thing that I can do. It’s the only thing I want to do. " - Mark
|
|
1/Sep/06, 18:56
|
Send Email to flipfanatic
Send PM to flipfanatic
|
Add a reply
Page: 1 2
Powered by AkBBS 0.9.5b - Link to us
- Blogs
- Hall of Honour
- Chat
Click here to get your own free message board
|
You are not logged in (login)
Board's time is: 12/May/08, 15:27
|
|
|
