A fault too far

by John Silk

So Andre Agassi has finally admitted it. The revelations were controversial and astonishing, in equal measure.

He blames his defeat in the 1990 French Open Final because of using it, which was even more surprising.

No, I am not talking about his use of crystal meth but the hairpiece he wore for many years to cover his balding head.

Yes ladies and gentlemen, that mop of hair that was envied and loved by many was a fallacy, not too dissilmilar to the success he enjoyed on court during that part of his career.

One wonders if it was the crystal meth that led the Las Vegan to have the deluded belief that the wig was reponsible for his defeat to Andrés Gómez at Roland Garros all those years ago.

Seriously, though, Agassi will never again be held in the same esteem but what was his motivation behind his remarkable confession? Money? Publicity?

Ill advised

Whatever it was, surely his comments were ill advised?

The former world number one has illustrated that there is another kind of need that still stimulates him today, whether that be improving his bank balance or the need for notoriety.

As a player he was lauded for his talents on court. The memories of him winning Wimbledon in 1992, beating the heartbroken Goran Ivanisevic in the final, and his tremedous battles with Jim Courier and Pete Sampras will be largely overshadowed by his recent scribings.

What must messrs Courier, Sampras and Ivanisevic, in particular, be thinking now?

Disappointment among fellow tennis stars

Well, whatever their sense of injustice may be, the game’s biggest stars of today, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, are not impressed with someone they used to regard as a hero.

“To me it seems terrible,” Nadal told The Guardian. “Why is he saying this now that he has retired? It’s a way of damaging the sport that makes no sense.”

World number one Federer said to the same publication: “It was a shock when I heard the news, I am disappointed.”

Agassi had the best return of serve in the game and, even when the chips were down, always maintaned his fighting spirit.

Lie, cheat and prosper

However, this spirit, at least occasionally, was summoned from the use of an illegal substance (crystal meth is widely acknowledged as an intensive stimulant that can enhance focus) and what kind of message does this send out to young, aspirational tennis players? Lie, cheat and prosper.

Agassi has a charity organistaion called The Andre Agassi Foundation with the following motto: where there is education, there is hope.

Well this poignant message now takes on even greater signifance as he has educated future tennis players that cheating is not only beneficial, but will leave your opponents with little hope of success.

A set back

And 2009 was all going so well for tennis — Roger Federer became arguably the greatest player of all time following his landmark victories at the French Open and Wimbledon; Juan Martin del Potro memorably won his first Grand Slam at the US Open; and Kim Clijsters performed a remarkable return to the sport with victory at the same event.

Unfortunately, since then, the tennis year has taken a dramatic turn for the worse. First, it was Serena Williams’ foul outburst at a line judge in New York eight weeks ago and now this — Agassi has really dragged the sport through the mud. In fact, he has not just dragged it through the mud, but he has also kicked it, punched it and spat in its face.

In addition, he revealed his hatred for the sport. Every single day of his sporting life, he hated it. Very peculiar, though, given his appearance as a guest player to inaugurate the roof at a showpiece occasion earlier this year and his surprise appearance as a co-commentator for a US Open quarter-final a couple of years ago.

Even more, no one forced him into playing in the way that other tennis stars were ‘encouraged’ to pick up a racket by insistent (and persistant) parents.

A lot to answer

The ATP (tennis’ governing body) has a lot to answer for, too, as Agassi divulged in his book that he wrote to them after he failed the mandatory drug test stating that he had mistakenly taken the drug — he had had his drink spiked at a party.

As a result, the ATP exonerated the American, without informing the public of either his offence or the reasoning behind his acquittal. Everything was swept under the proverbial carpet and we still await their thoughts, more than two weeks since his book was first serialised.

Nadal revealed his displeasure: “I believe our sport is clean and I am the first one that wants that. Cheaters must be punished and if Agassi was a cheater during his career, he should have been punished.”

This whole episode has brought into question the creditability of the organisation and whether there needs to be a complete overhaul, nevermind an investigation into what really occurred.

As for Agassi, was it really worth it? His reputation, as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, and one of only three men to have won all four slams in the Open era, has been tarnished forever.