Game, Set, Match

I've always had an abiding affection for Andre Agassi. In a lot of ways I feel like we grew up together. Before you laugh, consider the parallels: We were both born in 1970. We both grew up with unhealthy father figure relationships. Neither of us got our shit together until our mid to late twenties. I married my wife at 30, he married his current wife at 31. He funds and operates a K-12 college preparatory charter school, and I work for a college prep company. Hell, we even went bald around the same time. We are now charter members of the bullet head society, although I never wore a wig (more on that later).

I'm sure that anyone who pays any attention to sports has heard about Agassi's new autobiography, Open. Aside from hitting the late night shows, 60 Minutes and such, the book has received widespread notice for one particular revelation: Andre's admission that he used crystal meth during 1997 and his subsequent failure of an ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) drug test. To make matters worse, when confronted by tennis' governing body, Andre lied and said that someone slipped something into his drink. Incredibly, the ATP accepted his explanation and did not suspend him. This new information has brought a fountain of criticism down on Agassi's head.

The two best men's players on tour, Roger Federer and Radael Nadal were particularly chagrined by this bit of news. Their complaints--while relatively respectful--were pointed. In fact Nadal was said to be privately furious. While I'm sure they take issue with the drug use and dishonesty about the failed test, I have a sneaky suspicion that their real complaint is that Agassi admitted his drug use at all. That in doing so, he may have harmed the game itself. Well, I say that's booty. Certainly, Andre must take his share of responsibility for doing meth and then compounding the issue with a falsehood--- what about the ATP? Can you imagine the NFL, NBA, or MLB accepting what amounts to "the dog ate my homework as an excuse? Okay, maybe I shouldn't have included Bud Selig and Major League Baseball. But can anyone seriously imagine the NFL's Roger Goodell or the NBA's David Stern making an allowance for "someone put something in my drink?" Astounding. My guess is the ATP didn't want one of its more marketable names implicated in a positive drug test. Agassi did what a lot of people would have done when they are scared and ashamed. While that may not make it right, it does make it understandable. However, there is no acceptable explanation for the ATP's inaction.

It should be said, though, that the criticism of Federer and Nadal pales in comparison to the harsh words of two time grand slam champion Marat Safin and all-time great Martina Navratilova. Safin went as far to say that Agassi should give back all his titles and winnings to the ATP, while Navratilova compared Andre to Roger Clemens. Few things annoy me more than when a player says that some one's titles should be nullified. It irritates the shit out of me when you hear some former baseball player say that the statistics of steroid users should be wiped from the record books. Look, I don't like it either, but if something happened, then it happened. Someone got all those base hits, home runs, strike outs, and wins. If you want to unring a bell, I suggest you build a time machine. As for Navratilova's comments, they don't even make sense. Roger Clemens lied about steroid use, true enough. Last I checked, steroids are performance enhancing drugs. Have you ever met someone who has a meth habit? Well, I have. I once encountered a 35 year old woman with a meth addiction who looked like she was 55 going on 206. She was as thin as a gnarled sinew and her skin looked like over-stressed leather. The only thing meth physically enhances is your ability to lose a frightening amount of weight and to scratch yourself raw. Nice job of mixing your metaphors Miss Navratilova. Here's a tip: If you're going to criticize someone else, use a comparison that makes sense. You'll find it enhances your argument. Sheesh.

Okay, at this point I'm sure I'm coming off as a bit of an apologist. So let me say this, Andre Agassi is a little like Bobby Knight. Of whom John Feinstein once said, "All the good things you've heard about Bobby Knight are true, unfortunately, so are all the bad things." Did Agassi often take his fitness and talent for granted? Yes. Did he "tank" matches just to get off the court? Yes. Was he a pretty boy who was far too often concerned with image over substance? Yes again. But here's the difference between Knight and Agassi...Agassi changed.

Andre was born unto a classic "Tennis Father." Andre's dad pushed him into the sport and turned his son into his meal ticket. He had little use for his son's education. And at his father's insistence, Andre dropped out in the 9th grade to focus entirely on tennis. Andre grew up hating the game that would make him so rich and famous. It's hard to blame him. When Andre was six years old his father rigged a ball machine with a souped up engine that fired fuzzy, yellow, 110mph missiles at his kid. Like I said, hard to blame him.

Still, the preternaturally talented Agassi became a terrific player. A gifted ball striker, Andre ascended into the top ten in 1988 while still a teen. Many in the tennis world forcasted Agassi as a future grand slam champion. However, in his first three chances to win a slam, Andre choked. One tasty piece of information in Agassi's new book tells the story of his first grand slam final loss to the solid but unspectacular Andres Gomes at the 1990 French Open. Unbeknownst to all but his closest family members, was the fact that Andre's famous mane was not real. The weave he wore to hide his premature hair loss began to come apart the night before the final. Desperate to avoid humiliation, Andre and his brother used scores of bobby pins to hold the hair "system" in place. Agassi played the entire match in mortal fear that his faux mullet would fall off if he moved too much. Of course, moving around is a real necessity in a tennis match and Andre got waxed in straight sets. He did manage to keep his wig on.

Agassi finally broke through at Wimbledon in 1992, defeating the hard serving Croat, Goran Ivanesivic in a 5 set thriller. Andre added two more slams and ended 1995 as the top ranked player in the world. Then things began to come apart. His ranking slumped after a nagging wrist injury affected his serve and ground strokes. By 1997 Agassi was in an unwanted marriage to starlet Brooke Shields and sneaking hits of meth. His ranking had dropped in two years from #1 to 141. He was in free fall. After losing in the first round of a lower tier tournament to a no name player, Agassi's coach challenged him to either quit tennis altogether or start over from scratch. Having earned plenty of money from his on court success as well as endorsement contracts, Agassi--for the first time in his life--chose tennis. He got fit, shaved his head, dropped the jewelry and loud outfits and decided to become a tennis player.

That was when the test positive for crystal meth came down from the ATP. And so Andre lied. He was wrong, dead wrong. Certainly, one could say that "coming clean" now as opposed to when he was still an active player is more than a little "convenient." Maybe so. But how many of us can look back on our lives and not think of something we got away with that we never "came clean" on? Have you ever cheated on a test? Driven drunk and somehow made it home without incident? Or simply told a lie to save your own ass? Who among us would want to be judged solely on our worst moment? Maybe he told the truth to clear his conscience, or maybe it was just to sell books. Only he knows for sure.

What I do know is this: I would prefer to be judged for who I am now as opposed to who I was in my early twenties. And if I apply that same standard to Agassi, I find that there's a lot to admire.

Agassi is one of the few players to peak in the back half of his career. Most tennis greats are running on fumes after they turn 26. Well, Agassi won 5 of his 8 grand slam titles after the age of 27. He is one of six players in the history of the sport to have won all four slams (Wimbledon, the French, Australian, and US opens). He is the only player ever to take all four slams and an Olympic gold medal in singles. Agassi wasn't the best player of his era, that honor goes to Pete Sampras. But he was easily the most unique and dynamic. His transformation from a (mostly) all style to all substance athlete was extraordinary. However, I would say that doesn't hold a candle to the kind of person he became.

After his amicable divorce from Shields, Agassi began dating German tennis great Steffi Graf. This seemingly odd couple proved to be a good match, marrying in 2001. Their relationship seemed to suit Agassi well. Long considered one of the more compassionate players behind the scenes, I think it's no accident that Agassi's greatest achievement came in the same year he was wedded to Graf. I'm referring to the creation of the K-12 charter school for at-risk children, the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy. The school celebrated their first graduating class in 2009. The grad rate came in at 100%, and all of the students will be attending college. This school came from the imagination and commitment of a high school drop out and former crystal meth user. Yes Fitzgerald, American lives do have second acts. Agassi has often been noted as one of the most charitable athletes on the planet. His only competition coming from fellow fringe sports star Lance Armstrong.

So that's who Andre Agassi is now. A former athlete and current philanthropist. I'm willing to bet he's most proud of the latter. Misters Federer, Nadal, Safin, along with miss Navratilova can bitch and bemoan his crystal meth confession all they want. They can gripe that the man who wrote a book called "Open" should dare to be exactly that. Maybe one day one of them will open their own charter school and cut the ribbon at the grand opening astride a "high horse."
Of course, I know that judging them against Agassi's greatest achievement is not fair to them, but neither is judging Agassi by his worst. Game, set, match.