Agassi Retires After Tearful U.S. Open

Agassi was defeated in the third round by German qualifier Benjamin Becker 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-5. After the match, nearly 20,000 people stood cheering him in Arthur Ashe Stadium for nearly four minutes, according to AP reports.

Agassi gave a tearful, final farewell speech and told the crowd: "The scoreboard said I lost today, but what the scoreboard doesn't say is what I have found. Over the last 21 years, I have found loyalty. You have pulled for me on the court and also in life. I have found inspiration. You have willed me to succeed, sometimes even in my lowest moments, and I've found generosity. You have given me your shoulders to stand on to reach for my dreams, dreams I could never have reached without you."

At the U.S. Open, he had defeated Andrei Pavel from Romania in a three and a half hour first round match and went on to also defeat Marcos Baghdatis from Cyprus in a four hour match in the second round.

In honor of Agassi’s retirement, HEAD/Penn Racquet Sports is releasing an Andre Agassi Radical Limited Edition tennis racquet, which will be available in retail stores this fall. The Limited Edition Radical is an exact replica of the original Radical racquet that Andre first started playing with in 1993.

HEAD has celebrated Agassi’s success throughout his 20-year career. While playing with a HEAD Radical, he won 37 of 60 titles, the Olympic tournament in Atlanta and seven of his eight Grand Slam victories.