THE TennisReporters.net NEWSLETTER: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12, No. 101

Agassi made wrong decision on Davis Cup
Win against Spain more important than another Slam title

By Matthew Cronin, TennisReporters.net

© Mark Lyons

Why doesn't Andre Agassi want to play for the good ol' USA?

From all reports, Andy Roddick would have willingly taken Andre Agassi back on to the Davis Cup team, even though its second singles player, Mardy Fish, is one of his best friends. That shows just how serious Roddick is about winning the Davis Cup title this year. He knows that without '99 Roland Garros champion Agassi, the US doesn't stand a great chance of upending the Spaniards on clay in Sevilla, Dec. 3-5.

But, even with the team's No. 1 asking him to come on board, Agassi doesn't want to play anymore. He permanently closed the door on Davis Cup four years ago, after the current captain Pat McEnroe's brother, John, savaged him and Pete Sampras for not playing in Santander, Spain, the week after Wimbledon. The US was butchered 5-0 with a B-level clay court team that included Jan-Michael Gambill, Todd Martin and Chris Woodruff.

When he was loving the Davis Cup life, Agassi was true warrior who produced in a big way, sporting a 30-5 record and helping the US to three titles in 1990, 1992 and 1995. But due to injury, he didn't play in the '95 final in Moscow, although he did admirably show up to cheer the heroic Sampras and the rest of team on. In 1990, he won his singles match on clay at home over Richard Fromberg in the US's 3-0 sweep of Australia. In 1992, he came up huge again at home in the final, scalding Jacob Vlasek in the US's 4-1 win over Switzerland.

AGASSI NO PANACEA FOR AWAY FINALS
But the US has never won a final away with Agassi on the team. In 1991 in Lyon, he was the only man to win a match when he punched out Guy Forget in the opener. Still, Sampras was schooled by Henri Leconte and Forget. Ken Flach/Robert Seguso lost the doubles. Agassi wasn't around for the '97 final, when Sweden blanked Sampras, Michael Chang, Todd Martin and Jonathan Stark in Goethberg. He also wasn't there the last time that the Spain and US met on grass in Houston in 2002, when Roddick came up big.

Agassi hasn't played a Davis Cup final in 12 years, but somehow, the sport's most cherished international competition isn't worth of a month of his time anymore. He has this curious notion about giving back to the game, an issue never tires speaking about. Outside of Davis Cup, give him five stars for supporting fans and tennis industry folks at nearly every tournament he plays.

Win against Spain more important than another Slam title
But why he doesn't believe that Davis Cup is no longer an integral part of the health of sport is befuddling. Outside of the Slams, it's the one competition that gets people talking. If he had decided to play, the profile of the tie and sport itself would rise to the heavens during the first week of December. Without him, coverage of the event will be pushed to page D6 in most of America's sports section. With him, coverage has a shot at D-1 every day.

But Agassi isn't willing to take the individual risk. He's certainly a team player with his family, friends and at the tournaments he loves, but he's no longer the ultimate locker room leader in his nation's most important team competition. His decision to opt out and say that he's put enough time in is a clear indication
that individual on-court goals are far more important to him then team ones.

Sure, it would take Agassi a good three weeks to train on red clay and he could suffer an injury during one of his matches in Sevilla, which would ruin the 34-year-old's chance of winning the one Grand Slam that he is still has an outside shot at: the '05 Australian Open. But, historically, would winning a ninth Slam title definitively put him over fellow eight-time Slammers Ivan Lendl and Jimmy Connors in the all-time great Top-10 list, or would a another Davis Cup crown where he has to beat the likes of former Roland Garros victors Juan Carlos Ferrero and Carlos Moya at the age of 34 be the notch in his belt he really needs?

You could argue it either way, but Agassi is missed one very important factor when he considered the subject: He has a better shot at winning two matches in Spain than he does the Australian Open. Why? Simple. No Roger Federer, Lleyton Hewitt or Roddick standing across the net from him.

Yes, Ferrero and Moya are very formidable opponents on clay when they are healthy and playing well. But Ferrero has been a sick puppy all year long and isn't the player who took out Agassi at '03 Roland Garros and the '03 US Open. Moya may have an impressive Davis Cup record, but he has very beatable this year and is always vulnerable in big matches.

CAN ANDRE WIN BIG ON CLAY?
So two questions rise: Does Andre no longer think that he has the goods to win a big clay court match? Is he ducking the competition? Maybe not (if you're a longtime Agassi fan who lives in the US and knows his track record). But, if you're living in Spain, the thought has certainly crossed your mind. Just read the Spanish press on Wednesday. Hell, Moya and Ferrero ducked the US on grass back in 2000, so why would international fans think any differently about Agassi's attitude toward playing on clay away in a hostile environment?

It's also possible that Agassi – who has never played under Patrick McEnroe – doesn't feel he's completely welcome on the team and doesn't want to fiddle with good chemistry between McEnroe, Roddick, Fish and the Bryan brothers. But Roddick, with whom he is very friendly, went to great lengths on Monday night at the World TeamTennis exhibition in Irvine, Calif. to say that the boys would love to have their best clay courter on the team. In saying this, Roddick knew that Fish would be the odd man out. But Roddick knows his team's best chance to win is with double A on board. McEnroe, Fish and the Bryans know that, too, even if McEnroe would prefer to go with the guys who got them there. It appears that McEnroe values loyalty more than a definitive big W. Who is going to argue with that noble philosophy?

Getting to the final is a nice achievement for the US, but given that the Americans have won the Cup record 31 times and haven't won the crown in eight years, only taking home the trophy will be satisfying to fans. Without Agassi, the US still has a puncher's chance. With Agassi, the US would go in with at least a 50-50 chance. Agassi knows that and doesn't seem to care. For the general health of the game and for Agassi's legacy, that is a sad state of affairs.