2011 Hall of Fame Induction Speech - Andre Agassi

[Dean814]

The introductory speech was terrible and i had to mute the sound the second time I viewed the vid. I'm sorry for saying this but I wanted to tape the girl's mouth shut. Content was not that good, delivery was terrible. But Agassi's own speech was really wonderful. He should be a motivational speaker.

[bobbygassman]

"Rock-bottom is an interesting place, i moved in and spend some time there..." Nice comment.

[bobbygassman]

The praising of his father is so contradictorary to everything in "OPEN", his biography? H says "thank u tennis" almost as many times as he writes "I hate tennis" in his book? He has never been afraid of being honest. Why this now?

[canuckvancity]

@bobbygassman but thanking tennis and not loving it are two seperate things no ?

[nhanleb]

I need this speech in text. please help :( !

[tennisfamer]

@nhanleb It's avalable on the Hall of Fame website. I'm trying to send you a link, but it won't work. It's under News & Events, Press Releases, and then it is about halfway down the page.

[nhanleb]

@tennisfamer thank you . you're awesome !

[dmh091]

16:20 Brad Gilbert busting out the METALLICA hat loool

[htdmc2010]

So he cheated using drugs won grand slams and now the hall of Fame? wow thats justice i suppose

[Rimpianto]

@htdmc2010 - He used meth, that usually doesn't help in sport and actually makes you worse, when he dropped to around N.100 in the ATP. He won slams before and after that. And even for that, for sports juries is considered recreational drug, 3 months suspencion and that's all. But hey, feel free to have your wrong opinion.

[htdmc2010]

@Rimpianto

Ever heard of disqualification? In most sports if they found drugs you are automatically disqualified from the tournament and if they found out later they usually take your Title. He won Grand Slams before taking drugs? maybe, but who knows when he started taking drugs? And we do not know which drugs he has taken aswell we do only know about meth. He disualified himself from the Hall of Fame and should have not been honored.

[Rimpianto]

@htdmc2010 - It's not baseball. They have anti doping controls in every tournament. If he passed them it means than he was clean. Or also all the other players can be accused in the same way: We don't know which and how many drugs Federer has taken!

So he earned his titles as every other player and that only stain in his curriculum, imho, is not enough to erase everything he has done for this sport.

[htdmc2010]

@Rimpianto

There are tricks to bypass the tests as we can clearly see in other sports like bycycle racing, athletic sports ... also they didn`t found about the meth either did they? Of course you have to prove something before judging. Other Players could have used drugs aswell but they never said it? It is unfortunatly impossible to prove when he cheated and therefore taking his Titles is impossible. But honoring him with the Induction to the International Tennis Hall of Fame is a joke.

[Rimpianto]

@htdmc2010 - Ok, on some degree you can be right. Anyway, ATP found out about meth. He had to write a letter to explain and he came out clean in that way (yeah, I know, weird). But, as I said this isn't cheating. He used meth when barely playing, for his personal buisness. ATP charge 3 months suspension for meth. Hall of Fame introduction is not only about his career as a player but about everything else he did to bring tennis to a new level of recognition wolrdwide and his educational program.

[htdmc2010]

@Rimpianto

Lets just say we have different opinions about the hall of Fame introduction and yeah maybe i am a little overreacting about this. But it pisses me off that players back then used drugs. I know that he probably wasn`t the only one who did this but i really hate that fakt.

[Iwiccaozzie]

My favorite TENNIS PLAYER TOO. LOVE YOU ANDRE.

[MissAries76]

My ALL-TIME favorite player. I love you Andre!!!!!!!!!!!

[roccorockssd]

wow. he should be a motivational speaker. traveling to schools around the world.

[roccorockssd]

someone should have asked to hear her speech before she was allowed to deliver it.

[misztong]

I've just deleted a much longer post, damn it! Well, first of, I mentioned the remark was because of her acquaintance with Agassi (therefore, lying within Agassi's context). I'm glad you agree her performance was horrible (though you still use pretty mild words to describe it). I understand, however, that my regard could've been a tad harsh and so I'm willing to settle on deeming it inappropriate ;) It was an attempt at being funny while at the same time trying to express irritation.

[sharoncoach]

@misztong

ok - i will definitely meet you at inappropriate!

Let's hope the well -intentioned-non-meth-using-re­ally-nervous-but-not-horrible-­well-dressed-and-obviously-und­erprepared - young woman takes a couple public speaking classes and tears 'em up in whatever field her years at Agassi Prep prepped her for!

[misztong]

Was the introductory speech chick supposed to present effects of crystal meth abuse?

[sharoncoach]

@misztong

that was an unnecessary comment - Mr Agassi could have asked ANYONE in the sport (or any sport for that matter) to deliver his introduction speech, and they would have jumped at the chance. But, true to what his life is about now, he chose the first valedictorian of the school that bears his name. Yes - the young woman seemed a bit overwhelmed by the moment, but that he gave her the moment is the only real point of it all.

[misztong]

@sharoncoach I'm not questioning Agassi's choice. I was referring to her performance. To me it was a performance, not a speech. I thought she would start rapping it out in a moment. There are some basic rules one should follow when addressing a crowd at an honorable event. And the fact that he chose her to give the introductory speech does not mean I should now be tolerant to this chaotic, screechy and pretentious presentation. My comment may have been vicious, but it surely was necessary.

[sharoncoach]

@misztong - and i agree - the presentation was lacking. The crystal meth comment, in my opinion, simply crossed a line...

that was all

[misztong]

@sharoncoach Why did it cross a line? It was a question, not a statement. It was humorous, a bit cutting perhaps, but it reflected my general disgust for her performance. I wouldn't have used the crystal meth thing if Agassi hadn't revealed it. Why shouldn't I use it in his context? He keeps on reproaching Sampras with his poor tipping. And to call her performance lacking is like saying a murder is a misdemeanor.

[sharoncoach]

@misztong

ok, this falls under the "agree to disagree" category. She did not do a good job, but to me, the drug reference seemed inappropriate. The drugs he did have nothing to do with the presentation. If that was not your intent, i'll take you at your word. To me she seemed unbelievably nervous and overwhelmed.

I totally agree with you on the sampras/tipping issue, however. For someone who has had a pretty classy post-sports life, that running insult is ridiculous.

[jiukalita]

The worst introductory speech ever given!

But I dare not let it spoil the speech from the great man! Andre Agassi is such an inspiration!

[lw416]

i love his speech.

[pamelahl1]

Andre~ so sweet and humble ~what a joy to see this. Thank you for sharing!

[14rmjr]

I was there for that speech & I'll never get tired of hearing it. What a GREAT speech it was :)

[emcleod2192]

I am pleased to see that Andre received this unduction this year. His book "Open" was so raw and honest....one of the absolute best autobiographies I have ever read. He has done well personally and as a humanitarian too. I admire Mr. Agassi and wish him continued happiness and success in all he endeavors.

[hoognj]

Andre is phenomonal.

[InsanityFlies]

I give my hats off to Andre. He deserves it.

[kuihsapit23]

Simone's giggles nearly killed me ......

[rhiggins30]

Um, Simone knows that this isn't a pep rally, right? She's well-spoken and the content is good, but the delivery is inappropriately giddy. I know she's nervous, but it's a hall of fame ceremony!

[omgicntfindaname1]

@rhiggins30 i agree....thought that for such an important person it would come out a little more well-done...agassis speech made up for it tho :)

[THEBOXINGPOST]

Andre is the most articulate of all sports stars. Ever noticed how everything he says makes a hell of a lot of sense? I sincerely wish Andre nothing but the best in all of his future endeavors.

[kinkabala]

Youd think it was her that was giving the speech about herself , its a bit overtop no ?

[Phonedamentals]

I feel like his mother, I watched him grow up and become a MAN. He is wonderful not just at tennis but at life and teaches us all lessons. I got to watch his errors, forced and unforced, his LOVs and his Service BREAKS...I loved him every minute. I was there at the ceremony in Newport and it was as beautiful as it looks. He makes me so proud he can be proud of himself. His unknown...MOM.

[branboard]

Without Agassi, my love for tennis would be absolutely nothing. Growing up with him as my childhood sports hero has proven that it is very possible to be whatever you strive to be. As a kid, I wanted to dress and have all the same gear as Agassi. It's true IMAGE IS EVERYTHING. Now I'm 22 years old and I look back at his great career and am thankful that such a great player and role model stepped onto these courts. I can't wait to tell my kids about Agassi, just like my dad told me about Borg

[poiuzttrewq]

It's Simone, not Sabine...

[crosbyyacht]

I don't know of another athlete who can give a speech like Andre :)

[Dean814]

@crosbyyacht He is an amazing speaker. His introductory speech during his wife, Steffi Graf's induction to the Hall of Fame, and the speech he gave during his retirement ceremony were amazing. He also gives great interviews.

[austinmcd]

Andre is awesome!

[ZachClooney]

And thank you 'tennisfamer' for uploading this video.

[ZachClooney]

This is the greatest speech I ever heard by a sports star. Genuinely inspring.

[Appoldro]

1:20 hysterical bimbo, skip to 10:30.

[KentAZ58]

@Appoldro She's not a bimbo, she's actually very articulate.  The laughter was annoying, but probably the result of nervousness. Many people are greatly intimidated by the act of public speaking.

[zanthum2045]

@Appoldro Appoldro's harsh judgement of Ms. Ruffin is entirely against the spirit of Andre's talk. Her energy level, passion, and especially the heart of the content were wonderful . Public speaking is not easy. If she can get help with reducing her nervous laughter and with toning down her prosodic emphasis, she could become a world-class public speaker. Go Simone!

[crosbyyacht]

@zanthum2045 Simone did a great job! There's nothing wrong with showing excitement and emotion, especially for a girl as young as she is. We want to see her excitment! It proves how much Agassi has given back. I think she did the job perfectly!

[kavadale]

A speech on par with his best tennis; yes, I am impressed and proud for him and with him.

[camdawg1984]

Thank you for posting this.

[Ilovefergie69]

Every Journey is Epic and begins today.

[spjfrat]

Since 1987-2006, I can't imagine how many matches I saw him play. He changed so much and is a philanthropist now. Amazing.