Connors, which won 109 titles, including eight majors in simple, was 39 years old at the US Open in 1991, which he entered as a joker due to a classification of the n ° 174. Embracted by the New York crowd which likes the sensation, he propelled the semi-finals-working the fans with his explosive, Flambergasting Father Time.
But Connors was not the only hero to leave the scene with a drop of microphone. The ultimate example was provided by this other stoic, Pete Sampras. In 2002, at only 31 years old, the most prolific of all the male champions of the Grand Slam (13 titles, at the time) clearly slipped.
Sampras had fallen at n ° 17 by the US Open. But motivated by the undeclared inner conviction that he still had a great victory in him, he masters his own doubts and those of others and won the tournament unexpectedly – and has never swung a racket of anger again.
The man of which Sampras took his book of flesh in this final was Andre Agassi, who would soon stage a spectacular farewell. He was classified n ° 39 when he played his last match at the US Open 2006. Whoever witnessed his defeat in the fourth round against Benjamin Becker – or the retirement speech that followed and perfect that he made, then, on the field – will never forget this emotional and inspiring moment.
