"Come see the new Andre Agassi!"
Perhaps that phrase should be CBS's tagline for the promos of its coverage of the U.S. Open or any other tennis event. Just when it appeared that Andre Agassi's popular tennis lifestyle and often eccentric, flamboyant style had taken its toll on the American public, he springs back with a brand new attitude and a whole new tennis game to back it up.
A little more than a year ago Andre Agassi had fallen out of the top 100 men's ATP tour rankings, plummeting to number 141.
His life, although not in shambles by any means, was at a juncture at which he probably could have taken two separate pathways. One to regroup and refocus to get his game back in shape to the form that helped him win the 1992 Wimbledon, the 1994 U.S. Open and the 1995 Australian Open, and the other merely to live off of his impressive money earnings and other endorsements, ride into the sunset a rich and prosperous man, although not the tennis star nor the icon his potential just a few years ago would have suggested.
Yes, folks, Andre Agassi's 1999 was quite a year, culminating in a dramatic 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 6-2 victory in the men's final of the 1999 U.S. Open held just a few weeks ago in Flushing Meadows, New York.
The 29-year-old Las Vegas native, Agassi became the first man since John Newcombe in 1973 to come back and win the U.S. Open from a 2-1 deficit in sets when he defeated fellow American Todd Martin to claim his fifth Grand Slam title.
Moreover, Agassi became the first man since Ivan Lendl in 1986 to play in three straight Grand Slam finals in the same year. Before winning the Open and losing to Pete Sampras in the finals at Wimbledon where he was once known for his flamboyant actions and shirt-throwing demeanor, Agassi claimed the French Open.
In addition, Agassi is now one of only five males to have won all four Grand Slams in his career and the first American since 1938.
Andre's road back to the top of his tennis game, however, did not come without several setbacks. In May of this past year, Agassi's marriage to actress Brooke Shields came to an abrupt halt when the two mutually decided to get a divorce. Agassi was sidelined for the greater part of the 1997 season with a recurring wrist injury which forced him to withdraw from some of the major tournaments at the start of the 1998 season as well. According to Agassi, getting back to training hard with his coach Brad Gilbert and clearing his mind when he was away from the game helped him refocus his goals and rekindle his love for the game.
But Agassi's athletic "renaissance" which took place in 1999 is not nearly as impressive as his revitalized spirit and relatively subdued, demure personality which has helped him shed his "bad boy" image. Despite being the co-poster children for American tennis (along with Sampras), Agassi has had about as many adoring fans as fervent critics. Andre must have changed his image and his own personal look a couple dozen times, ranging from the more dapper, practically bald Andre, to the unkempt Andre with wild, free-flowing hair. Some even argued that Agassi had let his off court persona and lifestyle get in the way of success on the court.
But Agassi's victory over Todd Martin at the U.S. Open a few weeks ago seemed more like business as usual rather than a Broadway play, soaked in as much heartwarming, gutwrenching melodrama as any human could conceivably endure. While certainly not a Shakespearean tragedy, Agassi's decisive showing at the Open came as a wake-up call to us that the man once loved and berated at the same time is back. He returns with a brand new game, a seemingly new attitude, and a number one tour ranking.
Not everyone is convinced Agassi is as good as his 1999 year would indicate.
American tennis great Jimmy Connors said of Agassi in late September while promoting a seniors' event that "For him to be staging a comeback at the age of 29 is not the right thing. There have been too many dips in his career and he hasn't been consistently at the top of his game like Pete Sampras. With his talent, he should never have allowed himself to drop out of the top four or five."
Connors was also quoted as saying, "I wouldn't mention his name in the same breath" [as other tennis greats such as McEnroe,Bjorn Borg and himself]. Connors criticized Agassi for wasting his talent for such a long time before finally resurrecting his career this year.
Regardless, Agassi will attempt to add to his current total of 37 weeks as the number one men's tennis player in the world and to silence his remaining detractors. Don't adjust your dials tennis fans stay tuned. You never know what Andre will do next!
Although I don't think it will be riding off into the sunset without a fight.
