THROWBACK VIDEO: Agassi wins his final career match at the 2006 US Open

Friday, 01 May 2020 at 09:45

Andre Agassi is undoubtedly a legend in the tennis community, winning eight Grand Slam singles titles amongst a host of others.

The American partook in numerous exciting rivalries during his prime, facing greats such as Pete Sampras, Michael Chang and Boris Becker. He even battled a younger Roger Federer during the final years of his career, winning their first three matches before losing eight consecutive ones.

Notwithstanding, Agassi had established himself as one of the best in the world. As his career came to a close, the American announced his intentions to retire following the 2006 US Open. Suffering from various ailments, primarily back injuries, the then 36-year old was forced to take anti-inflammatory injections after every match. He overcame Romanian Andrei Pavel in the first round of the US Open before facing 2006 Australian Open runner-up Marco Baghdatis in the second round.

Despite playing through obvious pain and facing a much younger opponent, the former Grand Slam champion pulled off a remarkable victory. It was in fact Baghdatis who succumbed to muscle cramps in the final set as Agassi prevailed 6-4 6-4 3-6 5-7 7-5.

Agassi would go on to face unseeded Benjamin Becker in the third round, losing 5-7 7-6(4) 4-6 5-7 to the German qualifier. This would be his last professional match as he received a four-minute standing ovation afterwards, before giving his retirement speech.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bsaEEJ9GgE[/embed]

Arthur Ajayi

Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.

As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.

With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.

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