I feel compelled to write a post about Andre Agassi’s retirement. In case you don’t know, today tennis legend Andre Agassi retired officially from tennis. Last year he had announced that the 2006 US Open would be his last tournament, after 21 years of playing the game. He went out in true Agassi fashion, even with a serious back injury, he played thru to the third round. So what you may say, well both his first and second round matches were AMAZING to watch.

Today however, he finally went down to a unseeded player, Benjamin Becker. The match was sad to watch, because it was pretty clear he was not having a good day. He lost the first set, 7-5, won the second set in a tie breaker, and then lost the next two sets 6-4, 7-5. He played his heart out, but you could see his pain. When the last point was won and he had lost, the crowd fell completely silent, not a single sound could be heard, no applause, no boos, no cheers. Andre broke down in tears before he even sat in his chair. He made a very moving speech thanking the fans for all they’ve done for him. After the speech the entire stadium some 23,000 plus people gave him a standing ovation.

There was not a dry eye in my house and it gave me a moment to reflect on Andre Agassi. I think I can securely say that it was he, who got me hooked on tennis. Twenty-one years ago, I was a mere 12 years old, and tho I had watched tennis with my father (sports fan extraordinaire), I had not cared about tennis. The players were all old, like my dad, or boring. Then, there was Andre Agassi with his long hair, his bright outfits, his passion for the game. I watched him in the US Open and I was hooked. And my love affair with tennis has NEVER faltered. I will admit that I love women’s tennis more than men’s but I could NEVER pass up watching Andre play. Watching him go from wild child, arrogant freshman, to seasoned, relaxed almost zen like elder statesman only solidified my love of the game and my respect for him.

I know he’ll never see this, but I feel the need to thank him. Thank you Andre for giving me my love of tennis. I know this will NOT be the last we see of you.