Andre Agassi "Premieres" on the Champions ("Senior") Circuit
Andre Agassi won eight Grand Slams including a “career Slam” in which he captured each of the Grand Slam titles, i.e. Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open, at least once and on three different surfaces, i.e. hard, clay and grass. Agassi appears to be
happily married to multiple Grand Slam Champion, Steffi Graf, and they have two small children. Yet barely three years after Agassi retired from the ATP World Tour, Andre is returning to competition at the Outback Champion Series tournament in Arizona. Clearly, Agassi’s presence is a boost to Jim Courier’s Champions Tour, but hopefully it’s also a positive experience for Agassi as well which inspires him to compete again. Playing matches again requires preparation, which takes time and effort because Agassi wants to produce a level of performance that his fans would expect from him. Given all of Agassi’s current activities, it’s unlikely that he will be anything, but a part-time player on the Champions Tour.
There are many articles about how difficult the transition to life away from the “field of play” can be for many former athletes. Superstars who are used to thrilling tens of thousands of screaming fans, can miss the big stage, as well as the challenge of high-level competition. Agassi seems to be one of the rare “ex-tennis pros” who has found a balance and fulfillment in his retirement by focusing on his foundation’s work on underprivileged children’s education and his family life. But why not train a little harder from time to time and blast a few winners for himself, as well as for his legions of tennis fans around the world. We welcome Andre Agassi back to the world of competitive tennis and hope he returns frequently to compete, offer commentary and provide some coaching to the next generation of champions.
There are many articles about how difficult the transition to life away from the “field of play” can be for many former athletes. Superstars who are used to thrilling tens of thousands of screaming fans, can miss the big stage, as well as the challenge of high-level competition. Agassi seems to be one of the rare “ex-tennis pros” who has found a balance and fulfillment in his retirement by focusing on his foundation’s work on underprivileged children’s education and his family life. But why not train a little harder from time to time and blast a few winners for himself, as well as for his legions of tennis fans around the world. We welcome Andre Agassi back to the world of competitive tennis and hope he returns frequently to compete, offer commentary and provide some coaching to the next generation of champions.
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