Adios Andre!
After Zizou, it’s Agassi. Another reason to stay away from the boob tube. Federer is still out there, but tennis watching is never going to be the same again. It’s like once Zidane’s not there, who bothers for the English Premier League? In Agassi’s case, it’s a personal loss, too, considering we are both bald (so is Zizou!) and if you looked closely, there’s this uncanny resemblance. Okay, okay, I need to lose ‘some’ pounds. We share the same sign, too! He’s April 29, and me April 24. Jokes apart, what’s the Andre appeal? In one word: expressiveness. While Agassi’s hair and body have changed— he’s been getting balder, grayer, and leaner for years—his eyes still betray joy and frustration as easily as ever. They bulge out when he returns serve, light up after he wins, and go frighteningly vacant when he’s losing. Callow punk or wise veteran, in tough losses and rousing victories, Agassi has never been able to hide a thing. That’s what makes him a man. He has always been embraced by the people because for most part he has been one of us. With the younger Agassi, fans identified their own shortcomings; in the superstar champ, only the fifth man in tennis to win all four Grand Slams, they found inspiration. Most importantly, they loved him for his heart, because he cared, sometimes too much. Fittingly, the last match Agassi won in tennis in New York, had everything written in it _ brain and brawn, age and range, the fire of youth and the assuredness of age. Marcos Baghdatis countered all of that effectively, but in the end, came up short against the ageless heart. Adios Andre. Thank you for caring.