For those of you that think Andre should retire

[Down_the_line]

I'm not whining or anything but I just wanted to make a few points.

First and foremost, the simplest argument is that Agassi is still in the Top 10 and has been a consistent Top 10 player for a long time now. The last time he was ranked outside was in 2002. Why, then, is he not good enough to keep playing? The deciding factor for retirement is not age, but the side effects of age. Andre is getting older but he sure isn't showing it. He's 35, so what?

The other thing I wanted to mention is that he has made the semifinals or better in at least 1 Slam ever since 1999 and for 15 years out of his 20 year career.

1986: /
1987: /
1988: FO - Semifinals loss to Wilander, USO - Semifinals loss to Lendl
1989: USO - Semifinals loss to Lendl
1990: FO - Final loss to Gomez, USO - Final loss to Sampras
1991: FO - Final loss to Courier
1992: FO - Semifinal loss to Courier, Wimbledon - Win vs. Ivanisevic
1993: /
1994: USO - Win vs. Stich
1995: AO - Win vs. Sampras (this was his AO debut), Wimbledon - Semifinal loss to Becker, USO - Final loss to Sampras
1996: AO - Semifinal loss to Chang, USO - Semifinal loss to Chang
1997: /
1998: /
1999: FO - Win vs. Medvedev, Wimbledon - Final loss to Sampras, USO - Win vs. Martin
2000: AO - Win vs. Kafelnikov, Wimbledon - Semifinal loss to Rafter
2001: AO - Win vs. Clement, Wimbledon - Semifinal loss to Rafter
2002: USO - Final loss to Sampras
2003: AO - Win vs. Schuettler (he OWNED this tournament), USO - Semifinal loss to Ferrero
2004: AO - Semifinal loss to Safin
2005: USO - Final loss to Federer

He probably could have also made the Semis or even better at the 2004 USO and 2005 AO if it wasn't for a certain man named Federer.

 

[ACE of Hearts]

I think Agassil will play next year, i think next year will be his last.He will be honored at the U.S Open just like Pete.

 

[Matthew]

Andre will win the AO next year. There's my BG prediction of 2006.

He will be rested up, in shape, and ready to rumble. Lets face it, unlike Pete, I don't think Andre is going to be one of those players to go out on top. He will play as long as he feels he can and he feels there is still purpose.

 

[Down_the_line]

some other stats

I agree with you 100% Matthew! Those are my feelings too.

Anyway, n case anyone is interested, here are Andre's GS records:

AO: 48-5
FO: 51-16
Wimbledon: 44-12
USO: 70-17

Some comments: Even though Andre didn't play the AO until 1995 and missed it in 2002, he still has a very imprressive record, winning it three consecutive times that he played in it (2000, 2001, 2003).

The US Open accounts for most of his GS matches and a pretty impressive record there too.

At the beginning of his career, Andre's best performances came at the FO, where he reached a record of 38-10 after finally winning it in 1999.

 

[federerhoogenbandfan]

I believe it would be a miracle for Agassi to win another slam. This years U.S Open is as close as he is ever going to get again. He had to pour everything out of himself to reach the final, surviviing nailbiter after nailbiter, having to dig down deep and find something extra multiple times. In the final he faced what I believe was a very subpar Federer, in a hostile U.S environment, and Federer won comfortably in the 4th set after the match hung in the balance in the 3rd. I would be surprised if he could ever come that close again, since he really stretched his limits, and pulled out some of the most incredable tennis he can at this point his career, just to get that close; and still had to have a bit of luck to win so many extremely excrutiatingly close matches, and had the 2 other main contenders in that half both fall victim to upset an cleared from his path(Roddick, Nadal).

 

[rilokiley]

Andre is one of a few guys in the tour who can take a set from Federer; for that reason alone he should not retire.
and who the hell is saying he should retire? I want their names. heh

 

[LendlFan]

1. I'm with those that believe Andre should continue.

2. I don't think anybody here on TW has ever said Andre isn't good enough to compete with the best which btw he is one of.

3. The AO is probably his best bet in winning another Slam Title. For some reason he loves it there and that's the only place he dominated Pete.

4. It's not his inability to win over the likes of Federer or Nadal but more so his ability to not cause an injury that might disable him down the road.

5. He now has a family that he must attend to and since money is never going to be a factor in Andre's likfe anymore, what are his motivations to keep flying around the World, practicing and working out with Gil Reyes?

6. I believe I recall Andre saying that when he gets to a point where he's no longer a Contender, then he must seriously take a look at that.

7. Another Major title isn't going to break any current records and he already has the distinction of being one of only five men in the Open Era to win a major on all four surfaces plus the Gold Medal Olympics.

8. You say 35yrs old, so what? Well there's a thing called recouperation time. And Andre's ability to recoup is greatly decreasing.

9. Evident of this USO. The Agassi of old was good enough to not have to play 3 back to back five setters. As good as Blake & Ginepri are, Andre (say during the Brad Gilbert Era) should have put them away in 4 sets tops.

10. Andre & Steffi are going into other business ventures along with Andre's Foundation for At Risk Children that is taking more of his time.

http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2005/8/26/124141/702


*If Andre enters and doesn't win the Austrialian Open, I fear we may see the End of a Giant in the Tennis World. However, if he is planning to say goodbye, I believe it will be at the US Open where it all started for Andre.

He is a class act and it would not surprise me one bit for him to feel he needs to give the Flushing Meadows Audiance one last look at and Icon. Also, it wouldn't surprise me if He & Steffi were to plan a doubles partnership for next years US Open, so buy your tickets now !!!!

 

[callitout]

Andre's great, very classy and a pleasure to even watch practice. He strikes the perfect balance of seriousness about his game wtih attention to fans and off-court issues. I only hope he retires soon so he's still close to his peak. Say compared to Chang who labored on long after the magic had disappeared. Andre can only defy the odds for so long. But, of course, he's given so much to the game that he has every right to leave on his own terms.

In hindsight seems a good move for Pete to have retired after the USO rather than muddling through another year.

 

[DashaandSafin]

Chang's magic only lasted a bit...so i did not mind him trying to "regain" it. Andre...the topic has been beaten to death. He is amazing...he is one of the GOAT's. Leave the man alone. They day when the magic words come from his mouth...then the tennis world will have a moment of silence. One of the greatest, a man who played in two tennis era's, a true champion, will be gone. Once Andre leaves the game...it will truley be the begining of another Era.

 

[Talent]

Andre is still enjoying the game, and part of that enjoyment comes from trying to please us. He truely is something to watch, and even when I saw him practice at the Open a few years back, the man's tennis is truely astounding. In comparison to Chang's retirement, I think Andre's will be timed correctly. Agassi will go out the way he came in, and he's an inspiration for all sports with the amount of success he's had all these years.

 

[jhhachamp]

2. I don't think anybody here on TW has ever said Andre isn't good enough to compete with the best which btw he is one of.

Sadly I know someone who would try to argue that Agassi cannot compete with the best and is not one of the best. I think we all know him. I won't say his name....

 

[ACE of Hearts]

Agassi can beat anyone out there, i agreed, the guy is ageless when it comes to tennis.

 

[VamosRafa]

I don't think anyone wants to see Andre retire. They just don't want to see him slip into oblivion, ala Chang, and go out in a less than Agassi-fitting style.

But I don't think he will. He nearly pulled it off in New York, so he may have a few more tricks up his sleeve