Posted 4:45 PM by Bonnie

Farewell to a champion! When I watched the Jimmy Connors/John McEnroe 1980 U. S. Open slug fest I thought I had seen the greatest tennis playing I would ever see in my life time. And until this week no other match even came close. But when I watched the match between Agassi and Baghdadis this past week my mind and heart were changed forever! Those two wounded soldiers - Agassi in pain from a back injury from being rearended in a traffic accident in July and Baghdadis suffering from leg cramps so bad he could barely walk stayed on the battlefield... I mean the court to the final ball! And in the end - the final game of the fifth match Agassi took the set.

And then today... Agassi in obvious pain but not wanting to disappoint his fans stood across the court from Becker (no, not Boris of the old days) and battled his heart out! He lost but not without taking it to four sets. The crowd gave him an 8 minute standing ovation and he was so emotional over having to say goodbye. This was the last time he would be playing. When he walked back to the locker room everyone there gave him a standing ovation and at the end of his interview he asked the news media if they would really miss him or if they were just saying that and THEY gave him a standing ovation.

This young man entered the tennis field 21 years ago as a brash "image is everything" bratty young kid who defied Wimbledon by wearing denim shorts and a colored shirt! Oh my!! And he had long hair held back with head band. He was everything tennis was not. Over the years we watched him grow and mature into a spectacular player who excited us each time he stepped onto the court. He impressed us with his spirit, his sportsmanship, and his love for not only the sport but the people -the fans - who loved and supported him.

So, we say good bye to one of the greatest tennis players to ever grace the courts, and know in our hearts how much we will miss seeing him play. We wish him a happy life and hopefully a recovery from the back injury and maybe...maybe? we will see him and his wonderful wife, Stefi Graf in a mixed doubles someday. We can dream! He wanted to go out playing the U.S. Open and he did so. He didn't want to limp off the courts. He didn't. After a tearful and heartfelt farewell speech to his fans and pain filling his face he walked off with the dignity of a true champion. Off the court he gave in to the pain and we got a glimpse of how much pain he was in during that match. Which only made the match even more spectacular. So goodbye Andre Agassi and thank you for 21 years of chivalry and poise on the courts.