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Andre Agassi (Las Vegas, 53 years old) approaches the table where he is going to talk with a group of Spanish reporters with those walks that are so characteristic of him, short and silent step, toes slightly turned inward. “Hello!” he says politely in Spanish. “Oops, the gum…” he adds as he corrects the direction to get rid of the gum. Next, the man who defeated the dragon—you know, Open, the magnificent autobiography in which he narrates his time in hell—is expressed slowly and with a Zen tone, as if he were at peace, spiritually liberated. Discuss and analyze Agassi with the experience of the one who has won almost everything, long since becoming one of the sacred icons in the history of tennis. The summit, eight major titles, an Olympic gold and his exquisite proposal on the court attest to it. Beyond a brief experiment with Novak Djokovic on the benches, he is not seen excessively on the circuit, although this time he acts as master of ceremonies in the event organized by Netflix that faced Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz last night (3-6, 6-4 and 14-12 for the second) at the Michelob Ultra Arena.
Agassi knows exactly what he’s talking about. He knows well those dizziness that appear when a champion is close to the farewell, and tries to explain what the Mallorcan may be feeling, while praising the wonderful qualities of the young man who is already here, trying to take control of the team. His sport. “I still remember what it means to be 20 years old and have your whole future ahead of you, and also to reach that point in my career where I had Roddick behind me. [número uno en 2003]… I didn’t know how much time I had left or when the story was going to end,” introduces the American, who hung up his racket in 2006, after two decades in the elite. During the journey he faced the then young Nadal a couple of times, in Canada and Wimbledon. And he remembers about the episode in London, on the verge of his retirement: “I can only say that there is nothing worse than having a body watch that tells you that you have little time left in tennis, and raising your head and seeing Rafa on the other side of the network,” he says. “We played on grass, and in principle that could have been good for me, but his physique was already too dominant. “He has always been very kind, but very ungenerous,” he adds with good humor.
Now it is the Spaniard who is approaching the end and Agassi joins the general feeling, that fear that the physicist can decide instead of the person. “Rafa deserves to finish when and where he wants. I just hope her body allows her to do it. He has demanded a lot from him over the years, and in the end we are all writing checks that can be cashed at some point. You know, sometimes there comes a time when he no longer listens to us. But [Nadal] It’s smart. He has experience and I believe he can negotiate over a period of time to say goodbye on his own terms. The experience of having seen him all these years tells me that he will not do it until he empties the last drop in his tank,” says Agassi, the man who had a beautiful two-way rivalry with Pete Sampras in the nineties and who defines the very long pulse of Nadal, Federer and Djokovic as “a miracle”, since “each one contributed something unique to this sport” and the three-way match “has been a gift for all of us”.
Now, it is suspected that Alcaraz and the Italian Jannik Sinner can pick up the baton of that action-reaction so necessary in the story of tennis. “It has all the ingredients to distinguish itself, that is why we are so expectant, but at the same time no one should take this for granted,” he warns. “He does many things better than others, but now he must define and build his game to make it unique. And it must be done on a solid basis, not on one that only forces you to play spectacularly all the time; I think that is one of the reasons that Nadal, Federer and Djokovic have had in common. They don’t have to have a big day because they know that foundation is enough and they can rely on it. That is very important throughout the year and in the course of a career,” continues Agassi, who has had a couple of private meetings with the Murcian and defines him as an “incredibly authentic” boy.
GASOL: “YOU SHOULD THINK ABOUT THE NEXT STAGE OF LIFE SO NOT TO HURT YOURSELF”
AC | Las Vegas
Pau Gasol has been another of the luxury guests for the organization of the event. The former basketball player, 43 years old and retired since October 2021, sealed his extraordinary professional journey at 41, four years older than Nadal is today.
The two met more than a decade ago, during the filming of an advertisement for the Nike brand, and since then they have had a close relationship. Before the fight between his friend and Alcaraz, the legendary center of Barcelona and the Lakers analyzes in a small group the difficult moment that Nadal is going through.
“Rafa is working to end up enjoying, and not suffering. In recent years we have seen him suffering and fighting to be able to play a little more, because he is a tremendous competitor, so he would like to play longer,” he responds; “I would also have liked to play a couple more years, but at the same time you look at everything in perspective and you realize how long you have been able to play at a very high level, and you have to start thinking about the next stage to “Not to do harm to yourself that could affect the rest of your life.”
“I hope he can enjoy Indian Wells and then the dirt tour, and that he arrives well at Roland Garros, which is his tournament par excellence. I think he would also be excited about the Games. From there, step by step and see how your body responds,” says the Catalan.
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