It's The End Of An Era....

Beneath the stands of Arthur Ashe Stadium, 5-foot-tall posters of U.S. Open champions decorate the otherwise spartan hallways leading to the door Andre Agassi will step through to reach center court for the final time.

There, on a wall between photos of Pete Sampras and Andy Roddick, is a shot of Agassi from his 1994 triumph. His blond hair is long, his face is unshaven, his shirt's a loud purple, and his accessories include a pinkie ring, a dangling earring and a chain necklace, all gold. The getup says "rebel," and that was certainly his reputation for the first decade or so of his pro career.

The Agassi who will play in his last U.S. Open -- indeed, his last tournament -- looks quite different, from the bald pate on down. And his reputation has changed as much as his appearance.

"This has been the stage to sort of prove myself over the years. It started with lack of acceptance and has grown to a wonderful embracement, and on both parts. I think I started off a little unsure about playing here, and I grew into loving this more than any place in the world," Agassi said Saturday .


Agassi, one of the greatest American athletes ever and one heck of a good guy, is finally calling it quits after 20 memorable years on the tennis scene. Through charisma, professionalism, and a winning attitude, Agassi has contributed something to the sport which is much bigger than himself. Not only has he made tennis better by inspiring so many people to pick up a racket, but he has also made the world a better place by being such a positive role model. I hope he knows this. The Baghdatis match will beparticularly difficult because that guy is great on hard courts and proved this by making it to the finals of this year’s Australian Open. Should Agassi get by Baghdatis, he will then have a likely third-round match against 30th seed Sebastien Grosjean of France on the way to a possible fourth-round meeting with Andy Roddick. As you can see, he has a very tough challenge ahead of him.

Tomorrow is Agassi's second round, and i'm dreading...it's his last game....ever. *sob*. (Why God, why?!!!?) I've been trying to get hold of tickets but there's none left. (Except of course on ebay which are overly overpriced). If i gotta watch at least one USOpen game, this should have been the one, but....freakin tickets were sold out as soon as they came out in June. My friends are willing to go with me ('coz ive been sobbing since the day the draw was out, and they can't take it anymore, hee) and take a chance on the scalpers that would be roaming around Arthur Ashe on the day of the tournament, but I'm thinking, what if we don't get to buy a ticket, that means not watching the game at all, so I'd rather stay at home(with popcorn, hotdog and ice cream...maybe smirnoff,hic) , and wait for the dreadful moment. Agassi's last play...and he loses. (sniff) Watching the Australian Open this year, I was thinking, I think Bagdhatis can become one of the top players soon, challenging Federer, Nadal and the rest of the seeded players. I liked him already. But now, he's gonna be the reason why Agassi would lose in his last USOpen tournament, and only reaching the second round. Sob.

Regardless of how it ultimately turns out, I promise you do not want to miss AndreAgassi’s farewell to the tennis world. For over 20 years, he has touched the lives of millions of people and his last moments should be unforgettable. I'm just sad to see such good thing come to an end. Thanks for the memories Andre, and good luck at the Open!