Agassi finds closure; will Open court bear his name?

	Andre Agassi was full of emotion as he thanked the crowd after his career-ending loss to Benjamin Becker on Sunday. Manny Millan/SI
	MAILBAG Jon Wertheim will answer questions from SI.com users in his mailbag every Wednesday. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

Would you please start off your next Mailbag with the full transcript of Andre Agassi's on-court speech?
-- Kent Anderson , New York City

"The scoreboard said I lost today, but what it doesn't say is what it is I have found. And over the last 21 years, I have found loyalty. You have pulled for me on the court and also in life. I've found inspiration. You have willed me to succeed sometimes even in my lowest moments. And I've found generosity. You have given me your shoulders to stand on to reach for my dreams, dreams I could have never reached without you. Over the last 21 years, I have found you and I will take you and the memory of you with me for the rest of my life. Thank you."

Sticking with the court naming issue, how about renaming all the courts on an ongoing basis? Each time the USTA wants to do the honors, it could rename one of the courts so that in 10 years time, we could be watching a match on Evert rather than Court 9 or Sampras rather than Grandstand?
-- Ron, Yorkshire, England

Nice idea. It builds a bridge with the past and it's functional. Mention "Court 10" to most fans and they have to consult a map. If you called it "Court Connors" or "Court Agassi" or whatever, everyone would know and remember.

When it starts to rain, why doesn't the U.S. Open put tarps over the courts? I understand the net posts aren't removable like at Wimbledon, so you could use two tarps on the court (each side of the net). At least deflecting the rain from the court surface would speed things up when they bring out the dryers and squeegees. Am I missing something here? Maybe more matches would have been completed last Tuesday?
-- Darrell Hawkins, Portland, Ore.

USTA officials addressed this during the Saturday washout and it seems as though the hot air that gets trapped under the tarp can cause the courts the bubble. Incidentally, the French are building a stadium with a retractable roof on the grounds of Roland Garros. What this, of course, will mean is that the U.S. Open will be soon be the only Slam without a rain contingency plan.

Seriously, Jon: What is the downside to a player losing a match in a tournament and ultimately winning the event? Many current players are advocating the abolishment of the "let" -- yet you're advocating it for events -- essentially a "do-over" if a player loses early? I say that's the breaks -- better luck next time.
-- Robert Fuller, Bloomfield Township, Mich.

Interesting observation, though the comparison isn't really apples to apples. Tiger Woods doesn't favor mulligans. But he can shoot a lousy round, make it for it the next day and still make the cut.

One point that I think gets lost: Yes, this round-robin format is clearly being implemented so tournaments can get more mileage out of the stars. But there's no unfair benefit, nothing inequitable, being rigged. That lucky loser will also have the chance to avenge a lousy first match by playing well the second time he takes the court.

I guess not even Roger Federer is immune to the Open Court Shuffle. When was the last time he played an Open match outside of Ashe Stadium?
-- Eric Kao, New Jersey

Odd as it is to see the two-time defending champ on a court other than Ashe, I'm told that Federer was consulted and didn't much mind. He's more concerned about playing early in the day.

If an umpire has overruled a point, can you challenge it?
-- Philip, Manila, Philippines

Yes, a player can challenge an overall. Incidentally, we all love replay, but there are still kinks in the machine. Yesterday, I'm told that the chair (and Dick Enberg) believed that Agassi was out of challenges in the fourth set and the scoreboard revealed he had none left. Then an "available challenge" magically reappeared. No one much noticed this and it didn't affect the match but it could have been awfully embarrassing.

• Lots of comments re: the "Mexican wave." Ken Cheng of Gardiner, Maine, cites Wikipedia: "The wave was later on display at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. For many people living outside of North America, this was the first time they ever saw the phenomenon, and so they dubbed it the "Mexican wave."

• Several of you asked whether the first men's semifinalist isn't severely advantaged given that the semis and finals are played back-to-back days here. Surprisingly, the answer is a resounding "no."

According to the USTA's Tim Curry -- to whom all tennis fans owe a debt of gratitude for his masterful handling of Agassi's epic press conference Sunday -- 10 times since 1990, the second semifinalist to take the court won the following day

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