1) It’s curious that tennis has had two huge brouhahas in six weeks, and both exploded as the two most charismatic stars of our era came out with books. Serena’s eerily titled bio On the Line hit just before she stepped both on the line (well, the baseline to be exact) and over the line (of acceptable behavior) at the U.S. Open. And, of course, Andre more than opened up in his book Open. All of which, begs the question: was peddling books somehow involved? As Ray Ratto asserted, honesty is more refreshing “when it doesn’t come at $31.99 a copy.”
2) So what else is new? Is it a cop-out to note that Martina Hingis, Jennifer Capriati, John McEnroe and countless other athletes (not to mention a kazillion ordinary folks) have done their thing with drugs?
3) Did the ATP cover up Agassi’s drug use? Almost instantly, the usual vehement denials were issued, but how did it come down that the ATP bought Andre’s ‘dog-ate-my-homework’ excuse that he accidentally ingested a spiked drink?
4) Did Martina Navratilova get it right or was she too harsh when she told the AP that Agassi’s revelations were “shocking…Not as much shock that he did it as shock [that] he lied about it and didn’t own up to it.” Despite baseball icon Roger Clemens’ alleged use of a performance-enhancing drug, steroids, not a recreational drug, Navratilova contended that Agassi is “up there with Roger Clemens, as far as I’m concerned. He owned up to it, but it doesn’t help now…Andre lied and got away with it. You can’t correct that now. Do you take away a title he wouldn’t have won had he been suspended? He beat some people when he should have been suspended.”
5) Andre smoked pot at Bollettieri’s. As a young man, he used crystal meth in ’97, then brazenly lied to ATP investigators. As a tennis elder he endured 13 cortisone shots to calm his bum back as, deep into his 30s, he unleashed the most astounding “end game” of any player in memory. So, are we out of line to wonder whether Andre used performance enhancing drugs, or was he just a truly dedicated dune-runner and gym jockey?
6) Is Andre’s voluntary admission just another example of his self-destruction or a courageous act of a daring, outspoken risk-taker? And will his wide-ranging bio prove to be the most candid and provocative sports memoir ever or a lengthy self-defense with many other deceptions?
7) His progressions went something like this: “A haircut and a forehand,” Rebel Without a Cause, “Image is Everything,” “Zen master,” “Mr. Brooke Shields,” “Mr. Steffi Graf,” Lou Gehrig-like farewell speech, honored educator, heroic humanitarian, author extraordinaire, admitted drug-user and liar: so what’s next for AA?
8) When all is said and done, whose reputation will be more tarnished — Andre’s or Serena’s?
9) How will Andre’s fellow players react? So far, responses have ranged from Navratilova’s upset to Federe,r who said, “It was a shock…I’m disappointed and I hope there are no more such cases in the future…Our sport must stay clean.” Nadal added, “It seems terrible. Why is he saying this now that he has retired? It’s a way of damaging the sport that makes no sense…Cheaters must be punished, and if Agassi was a cheater, he should have been punished.” In contrast, Americans Jim Courier and Justin Gimelstob were positive, as was Andy Roddick, who tweeted, “Andre is and always will be my idol. I will judge him on how he has treated me and how he has changed the world for [the] better.”
10) Ultimately, as the London Telegraph noted, Agassi was “a very bad boy. But look at the wife, look at the sporting record, look at the charity work, look at the angelic children. Can we let him off?”
