Agassi's tearful goodbye

　　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.

　　二十年的时间转眼即逝。然而，对于一个人的成长来说，20年却已经足够。成长过程总是苦痛相伴。而安德烈·阿加西在国际网球比赛的聚光灯之下的成长之路则更为艰难。

　　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.

　　在美国网球公开赛九月三日比赛那天，这位美国网球运动员在三局都失利后挥泪告别了自己21年的网球生涯。时年36岁的他尽管已经倾尽全力，却仍然难敌整整比他年轻十岁的德国选手本杰明·贝克尔。

　　"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. 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 an umpire. Over the years, he has made bad jokes during news conferences.

　　“今天，记分牌上显示我输了，但它却无法显示出我得到了什么，”阿加西对他的球迷说道：“我得到的是你们的鼓励，是你们对我始终如一的支持。”这是他在漫长的职业生涯终点所做的一次深情演讲。年少时的他却憎恨网球，就如同现在他对足球的迷恋程度一样。自一名孩童起，他的父亲就让他打网球。他逐渐对此厌倦，心生叛逆。他父亲对他进行的严格训练对他粗野的生活方式有所影响。他留长发，穿花衣服，朝裁判吐口水。这么多年来他在新闻会上开过很多不雅玩笑。


　　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."

　　当阿加西被问及会对当年那个17岁的自己说点什么时，他的回答是：“我会说，我非常理解你，却不想再成为你。”

　　The turning point in Agassi's career came in 1992 when he unexpectedly won his first Grand Slam at Wimbledon. It was the first time Agassi understood what real champions finally understand: winning is a test of nerves and not just power, it's a marathon, not a sprint.

　　1992年是阿加西职业生涯的一个转折点，他在温布尔登出人意料的赢得了他的第一次大满贯赛事。这是阿加西第一次领会作为真正的冠军最终会明白的道理：赢得胜利是一场对勇气而不是力量的考验，它不是短跑，而是马拉松长跑。

　　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 commitment," he said. "That never stopped."

　　不管这场马拉松结果如何阿加西已经踌躇满志踏入征途。他剪短了长发，加强健身，控制住自己的情绪。在球场上，他把排名第一的交椅几乎稳坐两年。而1997年的他却降到了谷底，排名跌至141名。但他没有放弃。“从那天开始，我知道我每天都要努力发挥出我的最好状态。这是我对自己的承诺。”他说道，“永不停止。”