The Last Stance -- Agassi Trivia -- In the Box with Bryan Shelton

ATP

The Last Stance

Stan Wawrinka announced that 2026 will be his final season on tour. While this is no surprise (he’s 40!), the news is hitting different for some reason.

And I think it’s because of this: Stan did the impossible.

The linebacker-built Swiss won three Slams during the Big 3 Era. He’s the only player aside from Federer and Djokovic to beat Nadal in a Slam final. He’s the only player to ever beat Djokovic and Nadal in the same Grand Slam (AO 2014). And he’s one of only a handful of players to beat Novak in a Slam final. Simply put, I don’t think his career gets the flowers it deserves.

Now let’s double down on the sappiness. The sport will lose an incredible player with an all-time fighting spirit. One who has resilience tattoo’d all over his career and literally on his body.

Kids, that’s called cursive.

I’m sad because we’ll lose one of the most beautiful, powerful, scrum-diddly-umptious one-handed backhands ever.

Sad because Stan’s departure is yet another reminder that the generation of players I grew up watching is one player closer to extinction.

Wrapping up — I seriously encourage you to spend some screen time appreciating Stan’s beautiful game. His 2014 AO run is a great place to start the rabbit hole. While he was greatly overshadowed by Fed as the Swiss #2, Wawrinka carved out his own page in the history books, and will hopefully be remembered as one of the best to ever pick up a racket. Root for him this year, and help give him a proper Champions send off.

Trivia

How many grand slam finals did Andre Agassi lose before finally getting the job done?

A. 1

B. 2

C. 3

D. 4

Find out at the bottom!

HBD

So umm.. it’s this kid’s birthday today.

He really likes Dragon Tales, Yu-Gi-Oh, and is obsessed with his Nintendo DS. But don’t encourage the latter — I’m worried that it’s melting his brain. Thankfully, he enjoys writing a funny tennis newsletter called Unforced Error.

He told me that he really wants more people to know about it, so for his birthday, could you help make his wish come true and share it with one person in your life?

Here’s the link: https://theunforcederror.com/

Thank you! 🙏 

Coaching Corner

Inside the mind of Bryan Shelton

Ben Shelton’s dad and coach Bryan Shelton recently went on the Tennis Insider Club podcast, and it was SO good. He talks about ways to develop great juniors, tiptoeing the line between dad and coach, and why he’s so positive from the box. I pulled out some of the most insightful quotes:

Balancing being Ben’s dad and coach

“I think for me it’s really about being patient. To be aware. So I’m constantly trying to be aware of where Ben is at mentally and emotionally. When he wants to talk about tennis, when he wants to talk about his game, when he wants to talk about things related to the sport. I’m aware of that.

And when he doesn’t, I’m very aware of that too. So I just respect both. And that’s where I think our relationship is healthy. That when he was a young kid, I was the boss. But as he’s grown, that’s changed.

Why he exudes positivity from the box

“I ask myself, what do I want him to see from me when he’s playing the game? When he looks over at me and sees that I’m enjoying the experience, whether he’s winning or losing, then it kind of reminds him that it’s not just about the result. Of course I want the result, we’re competitive. But, there’s more things to life than just the result.

I also think part of our job as Ben’s team is to model the behavior and feeling that the player could look at and say, ‘Oh okay that’s what I want to do. That’s how I should behave. You know I should be enjoying this. I should be excited and having fun out here.’ So I want everyone else [in the box] to have that look and feel as well. We’re all together in this.

Gut Reactions

• Man I’d love to have Bryan in my box during a 5.0 League match

• I wish every coach were as patient, thoughtful, and emotionally aware as him

• I’m reminded just how case by case coaching is. Every player and human being is different. And the art of a great coach (or at least one that I admire) is someone who invests the time in getting to know their player deeply (what motivates them, when they prefer receiving feedback and how much, what tone and words they respond better to, etc.) to help them bring out their best

• The energy you show in your USTA league match, your junior doubles match, your college match, etc. has a direct impact on the outcome — even (especially?) if you’re cheering from the box. Positive energy begets positive energy.

Around the Net

Some of the best tennis content I found on the internet this week…

🖋️ A tour of Alcaraz’s tattoos, which also shows off his most recent addition. When asked what he’d do if he wins the Australian Open, he said, “I will get a kangaroo [tattoo] for sure, that's my idea”

🎤 I love this Alex de Minaur interview after a loss in front of his home crowd. He talks about how devastating it is, about his toughest matchup on tour right now, and what he believes is possible. His delivery is so powerful — raw, simmering in frustration, and so real.

📿 Djokovic’s necklace design and why it’s so important to him

Answer

C. 3

It’s hard to imagine playing a Wimbledon final with a wig the relief Agassi felt after finally winning his first slam. The photo really says it all.

For those wondering, he lost the 1990 French Open (to Andres Gomez), 1990 US Open (Sampras), and 1991 French (Courier). According to his book, that last one hurt the most.