The End Of an Era.....

Months ago, Andre Agassi announced that this year's US Open was to be the last tournament of his career. On Sunday, he was defeated.

I'm not usually the type of person who gets all sentimental when an athlete retires. Today was different.

After following Andre's career for nearly 20 years, I found it quite difficult to not get a bit choked up as he bid farewell to the New York crowd and walked off court for the final time.

As a young boy I remember waking up early in the summertime so that I could watch his matches at Wimbledon -- a tournament that many naysayers claimed he could never win. I remember watching him win his first Grand Slam title at that same tournament in 1992 -- those same naysayers now applauding and cheering him on. In college I remember staying up until 5:30 in the morning to watch his classic 2000 Australian Open semifinal match against Pete Sampras, still my favorite of all their epic duels. Most of all, I remember shaking my head and smiling in amazement every time I watched him hit one of his trademark baseline winners. No matter how many times I watched him do it, the reaction was always the same.

Thank you for the memories Andre, and for all that you've done for the game. The world of tennis will never be the same without you.