Why Did Andre Agassi Feel Nothing at Number One?

David Senra says Andre Agassi felt nothing when he became the number one tennis player on earth. He had never really wanted the ranking. Other people wanted it for him, and he had the wrong goals. He never cared about the rankings or how many slams he won. He had won 63 of 70 matches that year, and 44 of 46 on hard court. Reporters asked if he felt invincible, and he said no. They thought he was being modest. He was telling the truth.

He felt best when he was helping other people. While dating Brooke Shields, they kept returning to the same restaurant in New York. The manager, Frankie, loved his kids, bragged about them, and was already stressed about college even though they were only in grade school. He did not know how he was going to pay. Days later, Agassi asked his manager to put aside a nest egg of Nike stock in Frankie's name. The shares could not be touched for 10 years, but by then they should be worth enough to lighten the tuition burden. Frankie could not believe Agassi had done it.

Frankie's shock educated Agassi. Helping Frankie gave him more satisfaction, and made him feel more connected and alive, than anything else that year. Helping others was the only perfection, the only act with lasting value, and the reason people are here.