A career.. loads of memories...

I am an avid sports watcher; almost all kinds... One of the most thrilling to watch over the years has certainly been tennis and the two guys who got me hooked on to this thrill a second roller coaster have been John McEnroe and Agassi. Both legends; nutty, ecentric, showmen but their best quality was the talent to match this atrocity.

My first images of Agassi was Wimbeldon'92... a young, strappy, punk-haired, earring wearing dude with amazing service returns. The guy who could sizzle up the green lawns with both his looks and his game. The debonair image was further boosted by the likes of Brooke Shields, Susan Sarandon and a host of other celebrtities shouting hoarse in their support for thr darling.

His strokes had a certain elan, a flair, an adventurous spirit. It displayed the kind of freedom known only to vagabonds. The cross courts and down the lines always knew where they were supposed to land... Thy were the free spirit which always knows it destiny. And they seldom betrayed the owner. Agassi was the artist whose strokes bewildered even his opponents.

However, he was always gonna be the second fiddle against the great Pistol Pete. For all his flair and charisma; he couldnt shake off the indomitable workmanlike precision and accuracy of Sampras. He would be the darling of the masses and media but he was always second-best. But the showman from Vegas was determined to carve a niche as a champion more than a blazer.

He stuck to his fitness regime, always focussed on his goals; tried harder each year and finally survived more thn most would dream to... Playing 15 odd years on the professional tennis circuit is no joke but Agassi achieved it with verve and spunk. As always fortune favored the brave and he joined the enviable company of greats to have won on all the surfaces- a feat even Sampras couldnt match...

The rapid decline in age and painkillers have finally taken a toll on the champions body. Since last year, he wasnt as competitive as we are used to see him. Agassi realized this and reduced the amount of playing he was involved in. Just last week he declared this would be his last Wimbeldon and the US open his last competitive tournament...

All his die hard fans wished him luck and hoped for one final hoorah. That was not to be... My tennis hero was defeated (perhaps by the guy who will emulate his sucess; Nadal) but definitely not disgraced. The age showed but so did the quality. If the greens have seen the last of the maestro; so be it. Lets hope the showman has in a sense passed on the mantle to the most worthy shoulders.

The cross courts and service returns would always be remembered. His career was a package reel full of highlights. The sun is setting on one of the most loved tennis careers but the love never will.

Agassi- my tennis idol; take a bow...............