[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Pages 21225-21226]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                    CONGRATULATIONS TO ANDRE AGASSI

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, the main reason I wanted to talk about 
athletics in Nevada is not because of the team victories that we have 
had over the years in Nevada but because of a great young man who was 
born and raised in Nevada who has been part of the Nevada athletic 
scene for some 25 years, even though he is only 29 years old.
  Andre Agassi and his family have been great for the State of Nevada. 
Andre, when he was a little boy still in elementary school, it was said 
by Poncho Gonzales, who was a tennis great. ``He will be better than I 
someday.'' This is when he was a little, tiny boy. Poncho Gonzales was 
right.
  Andre Agassi has already proven himself to be even greater than the 
great Poncho Gonzales. This was certainly the case as proven yesterday 
when he won the U.S. Open Tennis Championship.
  I want to, on the Senate floor, congratulate Andre Agassi on this 
remarkable comeback yesterday in the U.S. Open and, of course, his 
comeback victory in the French Open.
  Andre, as I have indicated, is a native of Las Vegas and dominated 
this summer with 35 victories in 39 matches. That is almost unheard of.
  Andre Agassi is the No. 1 ranked tennis player in the United States. 
Not too long ago, because of an injury and other problems, Andre Agassi 
was ranked 141. He is now ranked the best tennis player in the world, 
as he should be.
  I was watching the tennis matches over the weekend. John McEnroe, one 
of the great tennis players of all time, commenting about Andre Agassi, 
said his ability to return service is the best there has ever been in 
the entire history of tennis. His reputation and his abilities are 
still being proven. He is getting better with every match he plays.
  But yesterday he closed out one of the greatest summers in tennis 
history. He came up with some of the most impressive shots ever seen in 
tennis in a dominating fifth set to capture his second U.S. Open.
  Andre has made his place in tennis history. When he won the French 
Open, he joined Roy Emerson, Rod Laver, Don Budge, and Fred Perry as 
the only men to win all four major tournaments in their career.
  Andre not only won the French and the U.S. Opens this year, he was 
also in the finals at Wimbledon, making him the first man since Ivan 
Lendl in 1986 to have gone to three grand slam finals in the same year.
  No man had fought back to win the U.S. Open from a 2-1 deficit in 
sets since John Newcombe did it 26 years ago. But that is exactly what 
Agassi did in a 3-hour and 23-minute match yesterday.
  The match was only the fifth all-American men's final at the U.S. 
Open in 32 years. The matchup of these two men who are almost 30-years-
old, was the oldest since 39-year-old Ken Rosewall lost to 22-year-old 
Jimmy Connors in 1974. Even though these two men had not reached the 
age of 30, they played great tennis. They will be talked about as being 
old men at tennis, I repeat, even though they were not even 30 years 
old yet. They set a great example for tennis generally and for American 
tennis in particular.
  I have to agree with Andre when after the match he said, ``I'll tell 
you what. How can you ask for anything more than two Americans in the 
final of the U.S. Open playing a great five-set match?''
  Andre turned pro when he was 16 years old. We can all remember--I

[[Page 21226]]

shouldn't say ``we can all'' because that was 13 or 14 years ago--a lot 
of us can remember when he turned pro. In those 13 or 14 years, he has 
changed. He won Wimbledon in 1992, the U.S. Open in 1994, and was the 
No. 1 player in the world by 1995.
  But by 1997, Andre had, as I have indicated, come across some tough 
times. But he has fought back remarkably well. He finished sixth in the 
world last year. Earlier this year, he was ranked No. 1. He is now No. 
1 again.
  In a period of 4 months, he won the French Open--coming back from two 
sets down in the final--reached the Wimbledon final, and won the U.S. 
Open, a truly phenomenal comeback.
  Andre deserves to be congratulated not only for his tremendous 
tennis, but for all the great work he does for at-risk youth in Las 
Vegas. He truly has put his money where his mouth is.
  The Agassi Foundation has helped poor kids in Nevada. That is an 
understatement. He personally raises millions of dollars. He is going 
to have an event this month. He has gotten some of his friends to come 
from Las Vegas. He will raise $3 million at that event, all of which 
will go into his foundation to help the youth of Las Vegas.
  His exhibition against Todd Martin yesterday was exciting. Todd 
Martin is a great champion in his own right. His towering stature of 6-
foot-6 was as towering on the tennis court. These two men were 
interviewed after the tennis match, and that should certainly be an 
inspiration to all young people who want to compete because as winner 
and loser, they both talked as winners and indicated how important it 
was that they were able to represent the United States at the U.S. 
Open.
  Andre Agassi is good on the court and off the court with the 
tremendous work he has done with the Andre Agassi Foundation. He has 
helped the youth of Las Vegas by giving them a helping hand in growing 
up to be successful individuals. His foundation even branched out to a 
program to help women and children who have become victims of domestic 
abuse.
  Today on the floor of the U.S. Senate, I congratulate a great 
American, Andre Agassi, someone who will go down in the annals of 
history as a great athlete and who will go down in the annals of 
history in the State of Nevada as a good person. Andre Agassi is 
someone who is willing to help those who certainly aren't as fortunate 
as he.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative assistant proceeded to call the roll. Mr. CRAIG. Mr. 
President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call 
be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Frist). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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