The power of a single mind...

... over matters of unimaginable odds.

Early on, it looked as though the match would be a blowout for Agassi, who raced to a two-sets-to love lead. With an injection of cortisone propping up the ailing discs in his back, Agassi looked confident and surprisingly energetic, skipping to the sideline after an early break of serve. Throughout the match, he struck the ball cleanly and convincingly. Late in the match, after holding serve at a critical juncture, Agassi jumped up and down on court like his 4-year-old son Jaden Gil.

Agassi won the match, by the way. He beat the young Cypriot upstart, Marcos Baghdatis, 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 7-5. Also by the way, Baghdatis was merely 14 months old when Agassi started playing competitive tennis.

The U.S. Open Tennis Championship 2006 will be Andre Agassi's last trip to Flushing Meadows as a competitor. And for good reason. The man is 36 years old! Considering how 90% of the players in the Open Singles categories are below the age of 30, Agassi is ancient at 36.

And along with the age are the symptomatic signs that he has to deal with; fatigue from playing marathon 5-setters with kids a little more than half his age and a chronic back problem as a result of years of physical stress. Anyone lesser would have given up years ago. In fact, when Agassi went through his abyssmal slump to a career low of 141 in the ATP rankings back in 1997, it would have been perfectly expected for him to just lie down and give up. But no, not Andre...

It is said that a man by the name of Anthony Robbins motivated and nursed Andre back on his feet, turned him around and what was left is the indelible mark of a meteoric and unprecedented comeback that will be near impossible to replicate. A year later, he was back at No.6 in the world. And by then, he was already 28. People retire from competition at earlier ages in some sports.

So, that's the rise, the fall and the rise again of the great Andre Agassi. This year's U.S. Open will be his swan-song and no matter what stage of the competition he goes out, millions will be watching. When he waves his last goodbye on centre-court, millions wave back in tribute. And no doubt that millions will remember the moment for many years to come.

But enough about Andre.

My learning today is from Andre Agassi as an illustration of the power of an individual mind. I have never been to a Tony Robbins' UPW (Unleash the Power Within) Seminar and thus have never experienced what the fire-walking brou-ha-ha is all about. And if it is true that Tony did turn Agassi around, I would be in awe, not of Tony but of Agassi. Tony may have been the guide but there is no use of a road-map for a lost soul if he is not determined to find his way back. Simple as that sounds, Agassi is the embodiment of determination overcoming all odds including age and an ailing back, to RETURN to the pinnacle of success. Here's a rebel who's found his cause.