Do you guys know André Agassi, the one who married Steffi Graf? Well, he was in Mumbai as a brand ambassador for a private firm. He warned the tennis world against expecting Alcaraz to repeat the feats of The Big Three of tennis.
Agassi is a legend not just for his tennis but also for how he led his life and continues to lead. Legends in sports, like in any other domain, are not just for their tennis abilities but more for how they conduct themselves.
Agassi is one of the only five Golden Slam winners. The others are:
Steffi Graf/Serena Williams/Rafal Nadal/Novak Djokovic.
The Big Three—Roger Federer, Rafal Nadal, and Novak Djokovic are themselves legends and we can trace similarities in thier characters. . Importantly, he brought up the new to-be-legend, Carlos Alcaraz, and warned about pressuring him with great expectations of him going beyond The Big Three.
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But a bit about Agassi: Why is he a legend?
Nicknamed ‘The Rebel,’ Agassi was a flamboyant, wild, and talented tennis player who rose from nowhere, from a young professional at 16 in 1984 to World #1 in 1997. His meteoric rise was rife with several ups and downs, personal struggles with identity, and injuries, but he rebuilt himself each time he was damaged mentally and physically. Legends are made of these.
He won his maiden Olympic singles gold in 1996, and soon after, he tested positive for drug abuse; he escaped this unscathed but later confessed in his autobiography, OPEN, that he was abusing drugs during that time in an attempt to redeem himself. In 1999, he rose dramatically to prominence again and reached #1. By winning the French Open in 1999, he achieved the Golden Slam, winning all four grand slams (different surfaces) and the Olympic gold:
- Wimbledon (Grass)-1992
- US Open (Hard)- 1994
- Australian Open (Hard)- 1995
- Olympic Gold (Hard)- 1996
- French Open (Clay)- 1999
It was a redemption when he became #1 from all his struggles in life and tennis. His struggles with media, self, and demanding father as a young, talented achiever were overwhelming, and he also captured all these in his autobiography, Open. Just knowing his struggle will educate and enliven us. Here are some of them:
He struggled to meet his father’s expectations as an Iranian immigrant. He said he hated tennis but had a dark and secret passion for it.
- When everybody was in awe, he tested positive for drug abuse.
- Wrist injury and a divorce of first marriage in 1997.
With this heavy baggage, which he has dropped since, he has weightage when he talks of pressures on young sportspeople in today’s competitive world. Agassi has a point when he warns the fans and media of the pressure that befalls the extremely talented, young Alcaraz if expectations are set high compared to The Big Three.
What is Alcaraz made of?
When Agassi compares Alcaraz with Federer, Rafal, and Novak, he means their tennis abilities and, more importantly, their personalities.
Roger Federer (20 Grand Slam titles)
With his finesse, elegance, artistry on the court, and media savviness, Federer is a favourite of the young and old. He is the boy next door type. But his past was turbulent as well. The character is in how he transformed and in the will to do what it takes. His game of artistry and elegance is, as they say, poetry in motion. These are some traits that Alcaraz also exhibits.
Rafal Nadal (22 Grand Slam titles)
Rafa’s gritty, passionate, focused, ambitious, and never-say-die attitude has made him successful. He has fans worldwide and does philanthropic work. Part of this, too, is in Alcaraz.
Novak Djokovic (24 Grand Slams and counting)
Coming from the erstwhile Iron Curtain and war-torn region that is Serbia, Novak is the epitome of resilience and passion. His charisma and on-court pranks of imitating co-tennis players have provided him much-needed support from fans. He has turned the tables by making his detractors believe his true nature is fun and passion for tennis. COVID-19 vaccine rejection in which he was denied entry into the Australian Open and US Open 2022. Yet, with all these setbacks, he is still going strong.
Carlos Alcaraz (4 Grand Slams and counting)
Many tennis pundits project Alcaraz, who has already won four Grand Slams at 20, to be an all-time great. Obviously, they, too, see traits that Agassi is seeing—a combination of the three. Alcaraz is energetic, dynamic in his thinking and movement on the court, fun-loving, media savvy, focused, and ambitious. These traits match those of Novak and Rafa, while his sharp, on-the-toe thinking and skills with his drops and creation of angles match those of Federer.
His power and touch game is a thing of the future, for power and delicate play do not go hand in hand. Nobody doubts his potential or that he is a horse for the long haul. What really is concerning is that the pressure of success and sustaining it can break him down, just like how Agassi broke down.
Questions like: Can he handle the pressure? What will be the load on his body at his pace and power? Will he be wise enough to make appropriate decisions? Can all this fame and success go to his head? Answers perhaps lie in two areas:
- How much do the media and fans pressurise him? (which is what Agassi warns against.)
- Time will reveal his destiny!
Lessons from Sports
Any sport is not just a sport; it also provides life’s lessons; we only need to be mindful and receptive. Any sport, tennis, in this case, reflects a person’s attitude to situations, both on and off the court. There will not be a Jekyll and Hyde phenomenon. Our strategy and tactics on the court, our decisions, and why we make them all apply to life’s situations.
It is no secret that sports teach us:
- Tolerance
- Resilience
- Perseverance
- Wisdom to accept failure and success as no different
Life, with all its uncertainties, is a package of all these. There is much more to life than just these ephemeral joys and sorrows. We take all that is good and leave the rest.
So, get out now and start playing an interactive sport if you are not already doing so!
