Wimbledon
Nadal finishes off Agassi
Afp, London
Andre Agassi's epic Wimbledon journey, which began in misery in 1987 and peaked with his 1992 title triumph, came to an end on Saturday when Rafael Nadal sent him crashing out on his farewell appearance.The 36-year-old was no match for the Spanish world number two who made the most of his 16-year advantage to pile on the pain for the American, winning their third round clash 7-6 (7/5), 6-2, 6-4. Agassi, playing in his 14th and final Wimbledon, simply wilted under a combination of Nadal's constant brutal barrage as well as the searing 30-degree Centre Court temperatures. "I've had a lot of incredible years here," a tearful Agassi told a packed court where wife Steffi Graf was watching. "I'll never be able to repay you for how you've embraced me and I thank you for that "Thanks for having me." Nadal paid tribute to the American. "It's unbelievable to play against Andre. He's one of the best players in history. I congratulate him on his career." Dogged by constant back pain in recent seasons, Agassi had already announced his intention to quit after the US Open later this year. If he had any doubts over that decision, they would have rapidly disappeared after his face-to-face meeting with the muscle-bound double French Open champion, the future of the sport. Nadal was always on top despite needing a tie-break to settle the first set. Agassi had to save two break points in both the fourth and sixth games as well as three set points in the tenth. The American, whose 1992 win here was the first of his eight Grand Slams, was two points from taking the breaker but Nadal wasn't to be denied clinching the set with an ace after 63 minutes. The Spaniard, who was only one-year-old when Agassi made his 1987 debut, then raced through the second set 6-2 with breaks in the first and seventh games, wrapping it up with another ace. Agassi never carved out a break point in the entire match and, at times in the third set, he looked his age as he took a breather on a linesman's chair. Nadal was unstoppable, breaking to lead 4-3 before winning the match, and sparking a standing ovation for Agassi, with another ace after 2hr and 14min of one-sided action. Nadal now faces Georgian qualifier Irakli Labadze for a place in the quarterfinals while Agassi heads home to prepare for his US Open swansong.
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