Agassi's Last Stand

Sept. 3, 2006 — -- The U.S. Open was supposed to be little more than a stage for Andre Agassi's final bow.

Instead, at 36, the so-called "old man of tennis" is making a serious run in his final tournament before he retires, facing off today against 25-year-old German qualifier Benjamin Becker. If he wins. he could face top 10 seed and former U.S. Open champ Andy Roddick.

Some of Agassi's fellow players -- who were children when he began playing -- have paid homage to the tennis great. When American James Blake, 26, played Friday, he donned a reproduction of a classic, hot-pink outfit worn by Agassi circa 1990 outfit in his honor.

Now a respected elder statesman of his sport and the emotional favorite of adoring crowds, it seems almost a lifetime ago that Agassi was the shaggy-haired teenaged rebel of the tennis world.

"We've seen him become really an idol from a very spotty star," sports writer Bud Collins said. "I'd say he went from punk to paragon."

Agassi's remarkable athleticism have helped him win all four Grand Slam titles: the U.S. Open, French, Australian and Wimbledon -- a feat only five others have ever matched.

"Andre knows how to play the game better than anybody who's around now and better than most players who have ever lived," Collins said. "That's kept him going."