US Open

[Petra]

Posted: 8/29/06 at 12:19pm

Did anyone watch the Andre Agassi match last night?

Andre Agassi’s comeback against Pavel, when he declined to fold at 0-4 in the third set was thrilling.

That, following the renaming of the stadium in honor of Billie Jean King, made for an exciting opening day of the Open.

[DG]

Posted: 8/29/06 at 4:21pm

The forecast for the next ten days looks pretty dim. This could be a very long tournament for them. Stop-and-start playing is very draining - and almost impossible to maintain any kind of momentum through.

[LionessInWinter]

Posted: 8/29/06 at 6:22pm

The first year I decide to go (Sat night/Monday) I might get rained out.
If the weather holds, I hope Agassi makes it as far as Saturday and plays that night so I might get a chance to see him play.

[ZONEACE]

Posted: 8/29/06 at 7:56pm

last night Agassi showed he still has what it takes.

[DG]

Posted: 8/29/06 at 8:01pm

He's never lost his heart or will, but we'll have to see if his body can hold out. He hasn't competed in a month, and this year has been nothing but struggling with his back and hips. The hardcourts at Flushing Meadow are pretty uncompromising.

The farther he goes, the more insane the crowds will become. They went berserk when Conners made a run in his late 30's, and Andre is beloved in that arena.

[DayDreamer]

Posted: 8/29/06 at 8:06pm

Andre is beloved... you should have seen the Pub last night.

[DG]

Posted: 8/29/06 at 8:12pm

His career has been fascinating to watch. Beginning as the brash young teenager out of the desert, and winding up as essentially the wise old man (or even guru.) He and Steffi do many good things with their talent, time and money - I hope they have a good life together with their family. If genetics count for anything - and if they have an interest - their kids could be the scariest tennis players anyone's ever seen!

[chealion313]

Posted: 8/29/06 at 8:19pm

I pretty much grew up as an Agassi fan and after watching him since he was 17, I get all teary eyed just watching any feature story about him retiring, knowing that it'll be an end of an era soon.

I don't want to miss a second of his final matches.

[vbplayer]

Posted: 9/1/06 at 12:33am

Baghdatis is a player. He was trying to break Agassis concentration. Cramping my ASS!

[DG]

Posted: 9/1/06 at 12:59am

WOW!!! Unbelievable.

And vb, that thought crossed my mind. I think McEnroe sort of tried to make that point when he said they'd have to ask the trainer how he got rid of major cramping in 7 minutes.

BUT, one should NEVER try to break Andre's concentration - it rarely, RARELY pays off.

What a match - what a crowd!

I love this game

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 9/1/06 at 1:00am

Go Andre, Go Andre, GO Andre . . . you're da man!

What a great match.

What a great crowd.

Imagine if we cared this deeply over things other than sports.

[DG]

Posted: 9/1/06 at 1:09am

YWIW - I actually wish more energy were put into competition that amounted to more of a love fest like that - as opposed to the attempts at domination that result in death and destruction.

[aspiringactress]

Posted: 9/1/06 at 1:11am

Wow. Just wow. Absolutely beautiful match.

[vbplayer]

Posted: 9/1/06 at 1:13am

I can't wait for the next 4 days...no work tomorrow or Monday. US Open, US Open, US Open. I need to get out more.

Next year, I am planning on actually going to the US Open!

[DG]

Posted: 9/1/06 at 1:15am

vb - my dream is Wimbledon - but the Open would do

[vbplayer]

Posted: 9/1/06 at 1:30am

DG. I was in London many years ago and it was during Wimbledon. I didn't realize it at the time! And I am kicking myself to this day. So close and I missed it.

[CyCoSpAz2]

Posted: 9/1/06 at 1:37am

Wow. What a great match.

[DG]

Posted: 9/1/06 at 4:42am

AGASSI CAREER FACTS

The only man in tennis history to win all four Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold medal.

One of five players (Fred Perry, Don Budge, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson) to win all four Grand Slam titles during his career.

One of three players (Rod Laver, Roger Federer) in the Open Era (since 196 to reach four consecutive Grand Slam finals (won French Open, reached Wimbledon final and won U.S. Open in 1999, won Australian Open in 2000).

Played in the most Grand Slam tournaments (61, including the U.S. Open) in the Open Era (since 196. Stands No. 2 in career Grand Slam match wins (224) behind Jimmy Connors (233).

Only player in the Open Era to win at least one ATP title for 18 years.

Appeared in 90 career finals (60-30) between 1987-2005 (except 1997) and 15 Grand Slam finals (8-7). He reached the championship at least twice in all four Grand Slam tournaments.

One of 11 players to win at least eight Grand Slam titles:
Pete Sampras 14
Roy Emerson 12
Bjorn Borg 11
Rod Laver 11
Bill Tilden 10
Andre Agassi 8
Jimmy Connors 8
Roger Federer 8 *
Ivan Lendl 8
Fred Perry 8
Ken Rosewall 8

Winner of an all-time-best 17 career ATP Masters Series titles (since 1990), capturing seven (of nine) different tournament titles.

Agassi's 60 career titles place him seventh in the Open Era:
1. Jimmy Connors 109
2. Ivan Lendl 94
3. John McEnroe 77
4. Pete Sampras 64
5. Bjorn Borg 62
Guillermo Vilas 62
7. Andre Agassi 60

* I just want to point out that Roger will be the only active player on that list when this tournament is complete - and he just turned 25 on August 8th.



Updated On: 9/1/06 at 04:42 AM

[Petra]

Posted: 9/1/06 at 4:49am

I'm SO happy that this final run is turning out to be not just a couple of matches, but some of the most thrilling tennis we've witnessed in a long time.

[DG]

Posted: 9/1/06 at 5:00am

Petra - I agree! Isn't it great? Absolute storybook time. But we really shouldn't expect anything less from one of the greatest players ever. As he said, there are no guarantees, but I would always put my money on the side of him giving his all. And he's such a nice and gentle man - he deserves this fabulous curtain call.

[LaurenB]

Posted: 9/1/06 at 7:09am

"And he's such a nice and gentle man - he deserves this fabulous curtain call."

Amen. And he is generous of his time and money. When you think of the people who have really given back to the sport (and society), you think of Andre, and Arthur Ashe, and Billie Jean King. I loved the tribute to her on Monday night.

[madbrian]

Posted: 9/1/06 at 8:53am

I agree that Baghdatis was, if not faking, at least exaggerating his injuries. Agassi was KILLING him with drop shots; in addition to the distraction, Agassi didn't attempt a drop shot for over two games after the 'cramping' began. He only tried one after Baghdatis had used a drop shot on him.

Andre needs to keep his focus and not overlook his next opponent, Benjamin Becker of Germany (no relation). If he does, it may set up a 4th rounf match with Roddick.

[javero]

Posted: 9/1/06 at 11:40am

Honestly, Agassi has been an acquired taste for me. During his first few years on tour, I found him too brash and disrespectful of the seniors on tour like Connors who was equally loathsome for most of his career. But now he's da man. Guess it took life, Babs, Brooke, Steffi and the kids to temper all the Vegas punk that he brought to the table early on. A colleague of mine and I have engaged each other in heated debates through the years over who boasts the better record, Sampras or Agassi. I won't rehash all of that here, but give Agassi mad props for retooling himself into a great champion, first-class ambassador of his sport and all-around decent human being.

[DG]

Posted: 9/1/06 at 11:43am

javero - I think that's why he is so beloved. We've been able to watch him make that journey. My experience with him is virtually identical to yours - I never have resonated with the ill-mannered ones.

[DG]

Posted: 9/1/06 at 1:27pm

I swear Roger didn't even break a sweat in that methodical win over Henman.