Best Men in Tennis and the US Open: Agassi, Ashe and Federer

While much is made of the negative in sports, all sports have their heroes. They can be small, medium or large. Some are not winners. All are made of personality and humanity that speaks volumes about them as people.

On the eve of the US Open, one of the great and lasting opens for most who are still watching, come several who raised their games and our hearts above all others who played and still play the game. It is no coincidence that these players are also blessed in their accomplishments off of the court. For with great integrity and lasting conscience with grace, comes tennis excellence. Choosing those who are leaders on and off the court is not a difficult task for this reason.

True, the sport has others to choose from long ago. Each of these players spanned the Open Era. And each made the sport better because of who they were and still are, raising tennis to a new level for most if not all who watched. One of these greats is still playing, who unlike the others is on this list largely due to his current tennis accomplishments. Yet he too has accomplished a lot outside of tennis. All have the strength of character, personal integrity, and talent to be judged the Best of Tennis.

Andre Agassi

Andre Agassi remains the only man to have won the Career Golden Slam. Saying this diminishes others in ways that are not appropriate. Tennis, while a medal sport from the first Olympic Games until 1924, ceased being a medal sport until 1988. Thus, Ashe and Rosewall never had a chance to play in the Olympics, and Bjorn Borg was only available for one after he returned to tennis in 1991 before his second retirement.

Yet, Agassi, reputed by many to have had the greatest return in the game, is one of only three to have won the Career Grand Slam. Rod Laver and Roger Federer are the other two. And he married Steffi Graf, the only player male or female to win the Golden Slam, winning all four Slams and an Olympic Gold Medal in a single year.

An ambassador of the sport of tennis, Agassi's deportment as been exemplary. While playing in an era that included many of the sport's most notorious bad sports, John McEnroe being the worst of all, made Agassi shine even brighter. As has been said of Agassi:

Agassi founded the Andre Agassi Charitable Association in 1994, which assists Las Vegas' young people. Agassi was awarded the ATP Arthur Ashe Humanitarian award in 1995 for his efforts to help disadvantaged youth. He is regularly cited as the most charitable and socially involved player in professional tennis. It has also been claimed that he may be the most charitable athlete of his generation.

Arthur Ashe

Born in 1943, Arthur Ashe grew up in Richmond, Virginia. While not someone to discuss his tribulations, they had to have been very difficult for a black man in the South at that time. Richmond was segregated at the time, so he had to travel great distances to play white players. Eventually moving to St. Louis, Ashe continued his move to greatness by a piece in Sports Illustrated and his college career at UCLA.

In 1968, Ashe won both the US Amateur Championships and the inaugural US Open, remaining the only player to win both in a single year. No other black man has ever won the US Open, Wimbledon or the Australian Open, a feat Ashe accomplished during his exceptional career.

Growing up in the days of apartheid, Ashe showed courage and fortitude in denouncing South Africa when denied the opportunity to play in the South African Open. He founded or helped found numerous organizations and was also known for his writing, including the National Junior Tennis League, writing for Time Magazine and Sports Illustrated, captaining the US Davis Cup Team, and the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS. He was perhaps one of the two or three greatest ambassadors for his sport.

Perhaps his greatest achievements occurred after his death. Among others, Ashe was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, had a statute built for him in Richmond, had the Main Stadium at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows named after him, and has Sports Illustrated's Arthur Ashe Medal for Courage Award for the sports figure best exemplifying courage in the face of adversity named after him.

Because of his character, perseverance and great personal integrity, Ashe could be considered the best of the Best in Tennis.

Roger Federer

Today, we have Roger Federer to enjoy live on the court. Unlike all the others, Federer is without peer. In a day and age when rackets and serves make it hard to advance to the net, Federer does so with apparent ease. His serve has become faster, and his drop shots are becoming more deadly.

Yet Federer stands above his peers in other ways. Some critics seek to tarnish his reputation in various ways. They say he complains too much, makes too many excuses, and is not yet the greatest of all time.

For most of these critics, Federer is not even the greatest of his generation. They cite Nadal's record against Federer as proof he is not as good as his main rival.

To these people, the incredible record garnered during one of men's tennis better periods is just not enough. Federer, of all tennis greats, has the greatest range of talents, some of the best tennis behavior on the court in terms of considering the other player (compare the endless time Nadal takes to serve, although he is often sporting as well), and the greatest record of all time.

Federer, who speaks four languages fluently, also already has several ongoing activities that will increase when he retires. Unlike the others who waited largely until their career was over, possibly because of the great wealth that Federer has received, Federer established his own foundation in 2003 to help disadvantaged people and to promote sport. He was appointed a UN Goodwill Ambassador by UNICEF in 2006. This year, Federer convinced a number of fellow tennis players to form Hit for Haiti in which the proceeds went to victims of the Haiti earthquake. And he has been named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum for his leadership, accomplishments and contributions to society.

Will Federer challenge Ashe as perhaps the best of the Best in Tennis? Perhaps.

Others

So why the picture of the greats from Australia? Because unlike many, Australians say little about their contributions to society so we do not know what they have done outside of the sport for society and their sport. To me, if I were to choose one of these players I would have chosen Ken Rosewall, for his longevity, constant improvement of his game, and comportment.

Still, the US Open was not their game when compared to each of those above. While not a US citizen, Federer has practically owned the US Open. And the others are US citizens with one from New York and the other with his name on the Main Stadium. All in all, the Best of Tennis.

And that is The Real Truth.