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閱讀理解
Twenty years are just a blink in time．But 20 years is also long enough for a man to grow up．It is always painful．For Andre Agassi, maturing in the spotlight of international tennis competition was even harder．
On September 3, the American tennis player said a tearful goodbye to his 21-year career after a third-round defeat in the US Open．The 36-year-old tried his best, but was unable to keep up with German Benjamin Becker, more than ten years his junior．
“The scoreboard said I lost today, but what the scoreboard doesn't say is what I've found,”Agassi said to the fans．“I have found inspiration and you willed me to succeed．”It was an emotional speech at the end of a long career．
Agassi hated tennis as a teenager as much as he loves it now．His father made him play when he was a child．He got bored, and became a rebel(叛逆)．The strict training that his father pushed upon him got in the way of his wild lifestyle．He grew hair long, wore colourful clothes and spat at a judge．Over the years, he has made bad jokes during news conferences Asked what he would say to his 17-year-old self, Agassi answered,“I would say, I understand you a lot more than I want to be you．”
The turning point in Agassi's career came in 1992 when he unexpectedly won his first Grand Slam(大滿貫賽事)at Wimbledon．It was the first time Agassi understood what real champions finally understand：winning is a test of courage and not just power, it's a marathon, not a sprint(短跑)．
And what a marathon Agassi was about to begin．He cut his long hair, got fitter and tightened up emotionally．On the court, he was ranked No．1 for almost two years．His lowest point came in 1997 when his ranking dropped to No．141．He didn't quit though．“I knew that I would try to get the most out of myself every day from that day forward．That was my promise,”he said．“That never stopped．”
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