Goodbye Andre

Last year I got to see the stellar Andre Agassi twice at the US Open here in Flushing, NY. I remember thinking how graceful and yet powerful Andre hit the ball. Above all else, Andre always looked like he was having a great time. Prior to this tournament, Andre announced it would be his last at an ancient age of 36. The US Open marketing team took his impending retirement to the max and everyone was after the ticket to see Andre potentially play his last match as a professional athlete.

After two grueling five set matches, Andre's steam ran out on Sunday afternoon against Benjamin Becker, the 211th ranked player in the world. At the conclusion of the match, the New York fans did what they did best and sent Agassi into retirement with an 8 minute standing ovation.

I love and adore tennis but I love and adore the players who put everything out on the court. Andre Agassi was one of the those players and I will miss him terribly. There is no one who has the capability to take his place in the tennis world but I look forward to seeing somebody try.