The end of Andre

The man who transformed from a punk to a paragon will finally call it quits at the US Open tennis tournament this year.

Andre Agassi has decided that enough is enough. At 36 with a recurring back problem, the champion will walk away into the sunset, knowing that a job was well done. Almost 21 years of gruelling tennis has taken its toll.
Eight Grand Slam titles and 60 career titles speak volumes for Agassi the player. His charisma and charm has won him the world.
The long hair and earrings are long gone replaced by a bald, gleaming head. In those two decades, Agassi changed from a rebellious, loud-mouthed, much hated brat to a loveable gent, a true tennis icon.
Agassi announced his decision just before the Wimbledon tournament got under way. This was the tournament which Agassi hated the most in the early days. And this was the event which propelled his tennis career.
The brat Agassi shunned Wimbledon for three years, failing to understand the significance of the tournament. Then in 1992 he overcame Boris Becker, John McEnroe and eventually Goran Ivanisevic in the final to win his first major Grand Slam on Centre Court.
There were tears in his eyes when he lifted one of the most cherished tennis titles. This was the moment, the day, which changed everything for Agassi.
His rise to prominence coincided with a period of dominance by American tennis players including Pete Sampras, Michael Chang and Jim Courier.
Agassi remained in the top 10 for 16 years, a record he shares with Jimmy Connors. He did have his low periods, plunging to as low as 122 in 1997. He was at the top a couple of years later.
Agassi’s transformation from bad boy to good was amazing.  He concedes that he learnt a lot of hard lessons in front of the public eye.
Agassi now is a model of good behaviour, decorum, fitness and efficiency.  He transformed himself from a great baseline player into a complete all-round one.
He put in a lot of hard work into his game and his fitness. The results were more Grand Slams. He is one of the few holders of all the four Grand Slam titles.
His marriage to a former tennis great Steffi Graf also helped his resolve and determination. He continued to maintain his high standard well into his thirties.
Agassi’s exit will certainly leave a big gap in tennis. He was the omnipotent character who always was the one to beat.
But time waits for no man. The clock began to tick for Agassi from the start of this year when his appearances were drastically reduced.
Agassi will always be remembered as a gentleman and a great tennis player.

this sporting life Babu Kalyanpur