hey guys today my Tenis Partener magazine came home
and i read this sweet interview of Andre Agassi I thought i could share it with you so i tried to translate it (hope it's readable
;D)
ANDRE AGASSI
[glow=red,2,300]“I loved the opportunity to discover myself”[/glow] by George Homsi
“I have never celebrated a defeat before, but that night I did it”
G.H: It’s been almost a year since you lost to Benjamin Becker. Although you were expecting to “say good-bye” that week, tell me how you felt after that match ball…A.A: I wasn’t ready at all for what I was about to feel. And it’s not only about that game. There the other two matches before too.
I mean you can’t really predict everything for your last game after 21 years. I knew that physically it’s gonna get harder and harder. The way I was feeling, I could have been defeated without to much effort. I understood during that game that it was the last one and it wasn’t easy for me.
G.H.: If you would have won, you think you would have been able to go on?A.A: If I would’ve had 2 days to rest, maybe yes. But with just one day off I think it would have been impossible. I would have played, but it would’ve been hard for me to actually do something big.
G.H: You lost, however… and you cried…A.A: It was hard for me though never in my entire career I haven’t had victory as the last purpose. I’ve always played for living that process of self-knowledge and for feeling the connection with the others. To feel that I can bring a small change in peoples life, that is what brought the biggest joy in my entire career. All that love sent to me, all that love and gratitude for everything that I’ve done for 21 years were overwhelming and I couldn’t control my emotions.
G.H: What happened after? What are the strongest memories about that evening, the morning after…A.A: I knew that the “good-bye moment” was something inevitable, it was painful and sad but at the same time beautiful. Then, when I got out of the stadium I felt relieved and completely in peace with myself and with everything that happened all these years.
G.H: So… it’s actually been a release?A.A: It was, because everything was done and with this it was the end of a battle too. An important battle that I carried till the end, a battle full of strong emotions, often overwhelming, that I had to carry on before turning this page of my life. And when the moment arrived, I was happy I felt relieved.
G.H: Did you stay in New York that night? A.A: Yes, with my family and friends. We all went out for dinner, I have never celebrated a defeat before, but that night I did it.
G.H: How was the waking up the next day?A.A: I remember that when I woke up I realized that I don’t really care about physical condition. And that was great! I was hurt everywhere, but that didn’t matter. A strange and new feeling for me. For the first time I didn’t care about what my body was saying. Until then, even at the end of a tourney, I knew I had to rest so I can start practice again. Now, all that didn’t matter anymore and I was happy about it. But I realized something immediately that once this was over I had to start a new life.
G.H: Did you need a lot of time to put that feelings behind?A.A: In a way, the emotions had grown. Deep memories started to come back… now I’m starting to realize what I’ve loved and what made me happy for so long that the feelings are becoming stronger and stronger. But everything has its own place, right? Here’s a good thing: I’m looking at a young player like Rafael Nadal or I see another one who has great expectations and I really don’t wanna be in their position I don’t wanna go through that all over again. A balance that brings me peace.
G.H: That week spent in N.Y. was a tough wekk for you, physically speaking and you needed a break. Today, though, you’re in a great shape I’m sure you’re still training hard…A.A: I gave myself a month when I didn’t do a thing, I just didn’t make any physical effort. I lived my life with family. I got ready for the annual gala of my foundation. I worked a lot, but not physically.
G.H: So it wasn’t really a break. U deserved one, right?A.A: Absolutely! But what does a break mean? For me a break means that I’m able to live the way that I want to. The problem is; HOW DO I WANT TO LIVE? I wanna be with my family, take care of my business, my foundation. And I have the pleasure of physical training too, which I’m enjoying all the time. So a month after the gala I started to take my kinds to school and spend an hour, an hour and 20 minutes at the gym.
I don’t run that much but I still work out everyday.
G.H: How many times have you played tennis since September last year?A.A: I’ve only played a few demonstrative matches in December with James Blake and Andy Roddick. Still for charity purpose I played this spring in Chile with Marcelo Rios I play with my wife Stefi sometimes too. I don’t play much and my hand it’s starting to soften.
G.H: What other plans do you have about tennis? The Seniors Master for example?A.A: It’s an important tourney that a lot of people appreciate for one reason or the other. You get the chance to meet your friends, to play… there are a lot of good parts, but I don’t think I can make room for that in my life right now. Now I have less time then when I was playing. I give a lot of time to business and responsibilities now and it would be hard for me to think about tennis right now.
G.H: But you still keep in touch with some people, with the players?A.A: Of course. I have to say that “Sarg” (the American player Sargis Sargsian) has always been a good friend of mine. Now he’s here in Vegas. I see Mark Philippoussis, James Blake. I get phone calls from James and Andy. Andy sent me for Christmas a great gift for the kids.
G.H: Do you keep in touch with Roger?A.A: No. We had a conversation in a tv show via satellite during the Australian tournament.
G.H: How much do you miss the competition? It meant a lot in your life.A.A: I don’t miss it at all.
G.H: At all?A.A: Zero. I didn’t love the competition. I loved the challenge, the chance to discover myself. This has always been my goal. The most surprised about my victories has always been me. It wasn’t the competition that motivated me, most of the times that was the hard part. The motivation came always from the challenge to excel, it was the effort, the training, the come back. Now I have other purposes and challenges that I establish everyday and that are pressing on my shoulders, in a matter of speaking, but, unlike tennis, they don’t have that dramatic piece emotionally or physically and that makes me happy. The daily battle from the present gives me balance. That side of “montagne-russes” of tennis I don’t miss at all.
G.H: What kind of goals are you talking about? A.A: I always connect my goals to creativity. Business has to have a purpose. And the foundation too, in this case it has to be a model for the educational system. Beside the foundation the last 2 years I developed a residential grounds in Tamarack, Idaho. I was a success from day one. Now we’re planning on building a hotel too. Before, I was used to have an impact on other people’s life about 2 hours, that was the period of a tennis match. That was the joy: to make a thing that would mean something to someone. Now I get the chance to make things that mean something for a long time and in a deep way, because now we’re not talking only about the real estate side of the project. We’re talking first of all about the fact that we’re giving the opportunity to aces a different life style, a healthy life. We’ll try to help people to know their own body. The life style that we’re developing with this project gave us the opportunity to fit in the other businesses we’re taking care of – to use the furniture that Stefi and I are drawing, to introduce it in the restaurants we created and…
G.H: Your own restaurants?A.A: Of course. Long time ago I became an associate of this great cook and we created together 10 luxury restaurants that worked out pretty well. We have restaurants in Las Vegas, South Carolina, Mexico. Plus, it’s been a while since I became an associate at “24 Hours Fitness”.
My physical trainer, Gil, is taking care of the education part, explaining to the ones that are interested how to work their bodies. It’s one of the less known field.
G.H: But there are so many books about that!A.A: Yes, but nobody is actually trying to bring them to the health clubs. If you’re asking somebody why they are not trying to work their bodies, the answer is: I don’t like it, I’m afraid of getting hurt… the motivation goes away in no time. I’m talking about real things. We know that only 14% of the population of our country goes to gym, that makes like 86% of them don’t do sports.
G.H: You were talking about the furniture business. Don’t you need special knowledge for designing furniture?A.A: These things can be learned. And I’ve learned it from our partners from Kreiss Furniture. Stefi and I are drawing the new models. It’s been a long and weary process, but is nice to see how your turn into something tangible.
G.H: Tell me how is an usual day in your life?A.A: Well, when I’m at home…for a few weeks I travel in different places. But when I’m really at home first of all I take my kids to school. I take one of them, my wife takes the other and the next day we switch. From school we go straight to gym for like an hour-an hour and half depending on our time. From now on the day is starting to go better and better because the most important thing it’s over: going to gym.
G.H: I seeA.A: Then for a few hours I take care of the business, sometimes that happens at my office other time at meetings and sometimes at home. Then I take the children from school and I’m enjoying the rest of my day and evening with my family. Sometimes I have some little things to take care of but that the schedule of a regular day. So, a regular day means taking my kids to school, taking them from school and in between some sport and business.
G.H: Even though you’ve planed your life after the end of your sport career there has to be a new element, something unexpected. Do you get that?A.A: Yes. But for me that’s where the interesting part begins. The unexpected things were surprisingly good.
G.H: Like?A.A: I was surprised by the fact that you can feel really good when you don’t work overtime. Before I was assigning, for example, that in a few days I had to be at a certain mental and physical performance. From there I was building a program that I had to do everyday. Now things are different. It is nice not to feel the pressure of the dead lines.
G.H: Are you spending more time with your family now then before? Do you have more time for them?A.A: Not really like more time. Sometimes I’m busier then when I was playing. The difference is that if I’m not in good shape one day now it doesn’t matter. Before, when I was coming back home tired from a hard match and the kids would wanna play football or run on the beach I couldn’t join them. I had to do my rest to get ready for some new goal, to be # 1 or whatever… today I can really enjoy the time spent with my family. It doesn’t matter if tomorrow when I wake up I won’t feel perfect physically. All that stuff is gone…
G.H: The joy of being able to change lives made you set up this foundation and that’s why your spending so much time and energy with it…A.A: That’s true. I wanted to do something for the children with no hope, no future, that had nothing. To create a place where they can grown, feed there dreams, where their life can change. That, at the end, can change the world. That’s the purpose: to be able to give these children the chance of a better life. That’s my biggest joy. If I wouldn’t have this I would suffocate. I wouldn’t have the same energy in the morning and in the evening I wouldn’t be the same person going to bed. If would tell me that I will never win a tennis match in my life, that I can live with. No problem. It happened before… but if you would ask me not to support these children anymore that would be a crime.
G.H: Back to tennis! This year Roger Federer added 2 new Grand Slams to his record. 6 months 2 Slams! Routine…A.A: I had the opportunity to play with 3 generations or maybe more it depends on how you group them. I met the game from the McEnroe-Connors age, then Lendl, Becker, Edberg, Wilander, Pete, Courier, Chang and that would include me too. Then Safin, Kuerten, Hewitt, Federer, Nadal and the others. I’ve seen from the inside how the game develops. It’s unbelievable how much the level has grown all these years. It has improved even in the last 10 years. In a time when tennis has gotten so far for someone to be able to outdistance so clear it’s making history. It is unbelievable.
G.H: I’ve read somewhere that Pete Sampras said he thinks tennis was more competitive when he was playing. Personally I don’t agree and I don’t think you do either.A.A: We all have the right to an opinion but let me tell you something talk to the ones that started to play ten years ago and that are still playing. When you’ll see “Prince Henman” ask him what he thinks.
G.H: What does a champion like Federer brings into tennis? He doesn’t have your charisma, I would say. He belongs more to the discreet, traditional type.A.A: Well the connections between people create when they are able to recognize themselves in you. They identified with me because they saw me trying hard. I was caring my heart on the outside and it was enough to see me to say if I was having a good or a bad day. I didn’t even have to play the ball.
But when someone plays tennis so easy like Federer does people can’t find other ways to identify themselves. So you can understand that they don’t know where to put him because he’s playing tennis like nobody has done it before. Not being able to put him somewhere it’s a huge compliment.
G.H: Is there any chance that we could see you at the Grand Slams in the near future? A.A: I haven’t thought about that. The truth is I would like to stay involved in tennis because it’s been so good to me. For a few years though I have to concentrate on the projects I mentioned earlier. But there is no doubt that I wanna stay close to the game. I wanna maintain a position from where I can always help tennis. I don’t know how that will turn out in the future. I don’t even know when. But I love this sport I love watching it and the most important thing is that I care about it.
G.H: Most of the people we asked, even players, said that they miss you. How does that makes you feel?A.A: When your opponent expresses his appreciation and respect is the biggest compliment you can get in life. I fought with them and in a battle you can sometimes see the good and the bad in the other person. If after all these battles the conclusion is “we miss you” then that’s the most valuable compliment I have ever heard. I miss them too, a lot.
G.H: What kind of legacy you wanna give tennis? I know it sounds vague, but…A.A: I had the opportunity to enjoy for a log time something that meant a lot to me. All that I wanted was to improve the game. If I did that just a little bit and if that meant something in people’s lives, players or no players then I’ve realized more that could've hoped for.
G.H: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?A.A: Ten years ago I wouldn’t have imagined myself here. Ten years ago here it was just the desert, we would have been in the middle of the desert, there was nothing here, no school no nothing. So what can I say? I don’t know what would happen to me in 10 years.
I’d like to think that after all the experiences I’ve been trough I became a better person. I don’t know but I hope tennis is a part of me too.
and i read this sweet interview of Andre Agassi I thought i could share it with you so i tried to translate it (hope it's readable 
