andre agassi

andre agassi will be missed, not because he is the last american to ascend to extraordinary heights in the tennis world, (with no others on the horizon,) but because he is and always was the epitome of class.
agassi has chosen a great time to retire. At 36, his athleticism is waning and it shows on the court, though not so much he is not competetive. he merely has not been able to play at his highest level, which he reached about six years ago. his knees and back seem to be troubling him some and against nadal, in his farewell to wimbledon, agassi did not even chase some balls he surely would have hunted down and returned with fury a few years ago.
such is life. the fact is agassi outlasted every single one of his contemporaries. when agassi lost the 1991 french open final to jim courier, it looked like he might never realize the potential he flashed as a brash youngster.
michael chang appeared to be headed for greater heights. courier was unbeatable for a season and wowed the french crowd that afternoon with a gracious victory speech in their native tongue. pete sampras was bigger and more powerful and possessed a serve and volley game that combined roscoe tanner's fierce serve with john mcenroe's touch at the net. mcenroe himself was still playing and despite technological advances in the game, he improved his serve and exhibited a grit that retained the hearts of american fans. even patrick mcenroe or todd martin seemed like they might have greater staying power based on their respective, obvious work ethics.
agassi, however, obeyed life's golden rule and stayed true to himself. it was ironic in 1992 when he finally broke through and won his first grand slam at the hallowed grounds of wimbledon. he won in five sets over goran ivanisevic and dropped to his knees, his hands at the sides of his shaggy head in disbelief. in that moment, tennis became cool - cool, rock and roll tennis, with flea and anthony kiedis in the umpire's chair and the nike swoosh pulsing around the tv screen in unison with the beat of andre's wicked ground strokes.
the work ethic agassi became known for was not evident in the early part of his career. the media and some of his peers questioned his desire to win or his desire to join the pantheon of tennis greats he undeniably belongs to now. but this was agassi being true to himself.
what 21-year-old kid wants to be so utterly dedicated to something he loses the ability to enjoy himself along the way? not to suggest andre was partying 24/7, but the comments he made in the press were off the beaten path.
when he disdained wimbledon because of the dress code, he did so because his youthful sensibility wanted or needed to make a statement about clothes not making the man. it was a quixotic thing to do but andre had some power as a draw in those days and his absence dulled the luster of the tournament albeit slightly. (wimbledon, being wimbledon after all, just carried on.)
after losing at wimbledon a few weeks ago, agassi said he looks forward to this next stage of life. he realizes he will not have the opportunity to spend as much time with some people as he has in the past, but he also realizes in this tennis pro stage he is departing from he never had the chance to spend vast amounts of time with his wife and children. (of course he did not have kids until recently but the point is,) he does not rue getting older. he embraces the present, which is perhaps the truest quality of any champion.
andre agassi has been one of the best role models in the sports world. as much as i agree with charles barkley that it is not the athletes job to be a role model, it is still a nice thing when they are, and i will be happy to tell my children some day that agassi was a class act. no more, no less, but one of those few examples of celebrities one feels comfortable making that determination about.