believing, cheering, worshipping for two decades

i've been a tennis freak this past week, traveling to the us open for five sessions already. obviously the obsession centers on it being andre agassi's final tournament. i watched both of his first and second round matches and was impressed by his ability to play at a competitive level with kids so much younger than him. his enthusiasm for the game shined so brightly, as well as his emotion at being near the end. as he came out for the first match, his unshed tears nearly did me in. he played very well and the crowd was just unbelievable. you literally felt like they would will him to win with their cheering. i was also there for the final match on sunday. it was apparent from the start he just was not moving at the same speed and was in obvious pain. still, he played with all his heart, somehow pulling out a set. but in the end, amid a standing crowd, agassi lost his final game, and my heart literally broke. he sat there and cried for minutes on end, which was just too much. finally, when he got up to speak, with his voice faltering, i lost it. this is what he said:

"The scoreboard says I lost today, but what scoreboard doesn't say is what it is I have found. Over the last 21 years, I have found loyalty: you have pulled for me on the court and also in life. I have found inspiration: you have willed me to succeed, sometimes even in my lowest moments. And I have found generosity: you have given me your shoulders to stand on to reach for my dreams; dreams I could never have reached without you. Over the the last 21 years I have found you and I will take you and the memory of you with me for the rest of my life."


so what i say now may seem cheesy and a bit psycho, but i have watched and loved agassi since i was 8 years old. i drove my dad crazy to get tickets to see him when we were at the 1989 french open, and that memory is one of my fondest. for me, tennis wont be the same without him. i've said it before, he's the last of my "generation" of tennis players, and he will be truly missed. thanks, andre, for all the memories.