Andre the giant

Agassi has an appreciation for the celebration of past champions, the connection between the past, present, and future that the Tennis Hall of Fame represents. Memories of champions are kept alive. He realizes it is a unique Hall of Fame in that it is really international, as is the game of tennis. It belongs to the world.

This had nothing to do with Agassi’s influence in getting kids to hit the books. And to move on educationally, even to college, all expenses paid. But his dedication to building schools in troubled areas of hometown Las Vegas shows he’s the kind of guy who would stand tall in any Hall.

Building his academy and schools throughout the United States “keeps my adrenaline level at an all-time high. I hope my future will have a much more profound impact on the world than my past,’’ he said.

Agassi has money. Lots of it, but he knows how to spend it. His 21-year professional career, emblazoned with eight major singles titles and helping hands as the United States won three Davis Cups, featured more turnarounds than a figure skater. He was on top of the world (16 times in the top 10) and scraped the bottom when injuries and ruptured motivation floored him.

He was a highly competitive teen prodigy, driven by his father, unhappily at times. “My story reveals a dramatic fall in tennis and in life,’’ Agassi said. “The question is what do you do when you lose hope? Hopefully … folks will realize that regardless of how far they have fallen, there is hope. Life is full of second, third and fourth chances.’’

Where do you reach for inspiration to rebuild a shattered life? In his worst tumble, he ranked No. 141, and he had to slum it in the boonies to restore himself - the little glittering baldy who, age 35, kept Roger Federer nervous in their four-set final of the 2005 US Open.

Crushed in the first round of Wimbledon, 1987, he detested grass and said he’d never return. But he did after ducking for three years and astounded everyone by making the 1992 Big W his first major prize, beating Goran Ivanisevic in five sets. Ivanisevic had 36 aces, but Agassi just kept his roaring groundies burning up the turf.