Agassi refuses to lie down

(not Charlton related)

I'm off to the US Open tennis this afternoon at Flushing Meadow in New York. It remains to be seen whether the stadium will still be vibrating after last night's epic match between soon-to-be-retired legend Andre Agassi and young Cypriot pretender Marco Baghdatis.

The game finished so late (about 12.45am local time) that some early risers in the UK might have caught the tail end of it. However I doubt if anyone was caught sneaking out because it was one of the greatest games this famous tournament will have seen.

There is something special about night games at the US Open when 23,000 screaming New Yorkers fill the Arthur Ashe Stadium with its vertigo-inducing angles and outstanding sightlines. It's a world away from the genteel atmosphere of All England Club, and for the most part the players positively encourage a raucous atmosphere.

Although 'Flushing Meadow' conjures up bucolic images of flowers and gazebos, it is in truth a modern purpose-built tennis centre located strictly in Willet's Point (as opposed to slightly nicer Flushing), a downtrodden suburb of Queens made up largely of railway depots, car repair shops and Shea Stadium, home of the New York Mets. The tournament was formerly played in Forest Hills, a Tudor-style suburb based upon an English garden community, a location with more in common with the relaxed surroundings of Wimbledon than the present site.

First up this afternoon will be our Tim Henman who faces the not insignificant task of beating Roger Federer, who despite still only being 25 years old is already being spoken of as the greatest player of all time. In terms of raw talent, he is probably only edged out right now by John McEnroe though his best years may still be ahead of him. Moreover, despite already winning as many Grand Slams as Agassi (eight), he is yet to win the French Open. It is perhaps then a measure of how good the often under-rated Agassi is when you consider he is one of only three men to have lifted all four Grand Slam titles (Fred Perry and Roy Emerson were the others).

I'll end this post with a confession: I've beaten Tim Henman at tennis (and no, he wasn't standing on one leg at the time). I used to play seriously as a kid, and we were the same age and came across each other regularly at junior tournaments. He was not ranked especially highly until his late-teens when his superior technique saw his game hold up where others failed, and this ensured he rocketed up the rankings both nationally and worldwide. Unlike many other fellow junior players who no doubt now grace the sports shops of the UK, Henman was a nice guy and I don't begrudge him his success (which the British media often downplay).

I'm starting to feel old however when you consider that today might be his final ever match at the US Open. However as the career of our finest post-War player ends, the career of Andy Murray has just begun and based upon what I have seen he could well be basically anything he wants to be; his shot-making abilities are phenomenal. Once his new coach Brad Gilbert knocks him into shape physically, I have every confidence he will be going head-to-head with the very best for the next decade. He also has that arrogant streak which may not endear him to everybody, but which is often the trait of a winner.

(apologies for lack of paragraph spacing)