2006年VOA标准英语-Agassi Bids Adieu to Washington, Legg Mason Cla

By Steve Schy
Fitzerald Tennis Center, Washington
02 August 2006

American tennis icon¹ Andre Agassi was here in the nations capital this week to play in the Legg Mason Tennis Classic. It was one of his final appearances before he retires after the U.S. Open later this month in New York. In a career lasting² more than 20 years, Agassi has transformed himself from a young renegade into a venerable champion.

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Andre Agassi burst onto the tennis scene in 1986 with long, bleached³ hair, neon shirts and an abundance of attitude. The flamboyant⁴ young rebel was greeted like a rock star by screaming younger fans, fascinated with Agassi's aggressive play and outrageous⁵ behavior on the court. Agassi told VOA Sports that starting so young was a great opportunity. 

Andre Agassi    
  
"It's fueled me to take a closer look at myself probably a little earlier than I would have normally," he said. "I mean, I've considered it a blessing⁶ in my life, but with a slight turn of perspective you would not wish it on anybody, you know? Because you have two ways to go when you face yourself at an early age. To survive it is one thing but to thrive on it is another, and it has been something I've chosen to thrive on."

But with Agassi in Washington for his 17th appearance at this hard-court tournament, the years have finally caught up with the former number-one player in the world. A chronic⁷ back injury has stolen some of his speed and flexibility⁸ making periodic cortisone injections a necessity.

While Agassi once relied on one of the most rigorous training regimens to get him into match shape, he must now temper those extreme workouts with periods of rest.

"It is hard to stay healthy out here year after year with the trials and tribulations⁹ of competition on surfaces," he said. "And the way this game has evolved athletically¹⁰ has made it more challenging from a physical perspective."

Andre Agassi's record speaks for itself. He has won eight major titles and is one of just five men to capture all four of the Grand Slam titles: Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open. He won the Olympic gold medal at the 1996 Games in Atlanta, and owns 60 career titles, including five here at the Legg Mason Classic.

But Agassi does not consider himself to be the elder statesman of American tennis.

"To consider myself a statesman would be an inaccurate¹¹ thing to say. Because for me, its always about respect," he said. "Respect for your peers and respect for your sport. And you know, that is not something you demand, that is something you earn, and you have to earn it every day. "

Each day Andre Agassi gets closer to his announced retirement¹² after this months U.S. Open. But he says it is an interesting transition.
 

Andre Agassi waves to the crowd after losing to Andrea Stoppini, Tuesday   
  
"It has been great doing this my whole life, you know. And it is not just saying good-bye, by the way, to a sport, to a business, to hitting a tennis ball. It is saying good-bye to all the people you have done this with," he said. "From the fans, to the sport itself, to your peers, you have lived something on so many different levels. And to walk away from that, I don't take that lightly at all. "

Since announcing his plans to retire, Agassi no longer dominates on-court. He has dropped out of the top 20 in the ATP rankings and has gone just 6-6 this year. But Agassi says he is not sad to be retiring, and is ready for the next stage of his life.

"There's a lot of it I'm going to miss," he admitted. "But really if you do it right there is an evolution at work here. It will grow into something more than I could have hoped for when it comes to all the things I value. I'll miss doing this in front of the fans of this game. I'll miss that. I'll miss the practices out there with people lining¹³ up on the fence. But I don't know if I can say I'm sad, because I really believe it's going to grow into something better than this."

Coming into this tournament, Andre Agassi's singles record was 866-271 in his 20-year career and he has won more than $31 million in prize money.

1 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

2 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

3 bleached   

漂白的，晒白的，颜色变浅的

参考例句：

• His hair was bleached by the sun . 他的头发被太阳晒得发白。
• The sun has bleached her yellow skirt. 阳光把她的黄裙子晒得褪色了。

4 flamboyant   

adj.火焰般的，华丽的，炫耀的

参考例句：

• His clothes were rather flamboyant for such a serious occasion.他的衣着在这种严肃场合太浮夸了。
• The King's flamboyant lifestyle is well known.国王的奢华生活方式是人尽皆知的。

5 outrageous   

adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的

参考例句：

• Her outrageous behaviour at the party offended everyone.她在聚会上的无礼行为触怒了每一个人。
• Charges for local telephone calls are particularly outrageous.本地电话资费贵得出奇。

6 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

7 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

8 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

9 tribulations   

n.苦难( tribulation的名词复数 )；艰难；苦难的缘由；痛苦

参考例句：

• the tribulations of modern life 现代生活的苦恼
• The film is about the trials and tribulations of adolescence. 这部电影讲述了青春期的麻烦和苦恼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 athletically   

adv.竞赛地，运动比赛地，具运动员风范地

参考例句：

• Tall, athletically built, but with a slight, shy stoop to his shoulders. 高个子，运动员身材，但有点轻微的水蛇腰。 来自互联网
• She does not hate sports on TV, she is athletically biased. 她不讨厌体育频道，只是对运动有些偏见。 来自互联网

11 inaccurate   

adj.错误的，不正确的，不准确的

参考例句：

• The book is both inaccurate and exaggerated.这本书不但不准确，而且夸大其词。
• She never knows the right time because her watch is inaccurate.她从来不知道准确的时间因为她的表不准。

12 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

13 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。