Ola, from Brazil
Posted 22nd December 2010
at http://www.agassifoundation.org/andre-agassi-blog/
I’m just back from an intense but really enjoyable trip to Brazil. It’s a place that overwhelms your senses, the colors, the music, the passion for life, it all worked together to reinvigorate and inspire me.
The centerpiece of my time there was to compete against an old friend. Ten years earlier I played Gustavo Kuerten in the finals of the Tennis Masters Cup. It was a riveting match, which after he won gave him the world number one ranking. We both thought, after ten years, it was time for a rematch, but this time in front of his fellow Brazilians. Unfortunately, for my body, it seemed like ten 'dog years'. But we had a hard fought match and the fans were loud and proud, they really ate it up. They are wild about Guga (his nickname), and they made me feel right at home too.
I can’t say enough good things about Guga and his Country. The crowd seems to absorb who he really is, as more than an athlete but as a great human being that represents his people with class. His home country, Brazil is an emerging powerhouse. It has a fast growing economy, vibrant culture, and it will play host to two major international sporting events in the coming years. One side note that made an impression on me, the police are cracking down on some of the undesirable parts of society in Rio, years back that could have created fear and suspicion of the police for the whole city. Not today, I actually saw people applaud and cheer the police like war heroes on the streets. That tells you something about the good character of the people.
Now it’s time to put the racket down, give myself a short rest, and start acting like a forty year old again.
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