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the scoop: us open, day 11
Recharged Agassi prepares for Ginepri
Andre: 'It's the best energy I've ever felt. Never heard a crowd like that in my life'
By Sandra Harwitt,
Special to Tennisreporters.net
Cynthia Lum/WireImage.com
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FROM THE US OPEN – Less than 24 hours after Andre Agassi staged one of the most remarkable victories in recent times at the US Open, he was back on the practice court. But, it was just a brief 30-minute almost hit-and-giggle that Agassi had at 4 p.m.; not much of a surprise since he didn't walk off the court and into the semifinals until after 1 a.m. the night before.
While Agassi acknowledged he was feeling a little tired, it was also quite clear that he was still riding the tremendous high of his 3-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-6(6) quarterfinal win over James Blake. Coming off the practice court, Agassi responded to fans calling his name and signed autographs. Then he was more than amenable to have a chat with a handful of the reporters waiting for him to come off the court.
As to what his run to at least the semifinals here as a 35-year-old veteran playing in his 20th career Open means, he does not know yet.
"Hard for me to say. I can't be objective," said Agassi, when asked to put perspective on winning two consecutive five-set matches to reach the semis. "But I work hard to give back as much as I can. I want to repay the sport for all it has given me. Last night is a great example of what this sport could be if we had more opportunities like that, a world stage, two Americans under the lights. It's the best energy I've ever felt. Never heard a crowd like that in my life."
Despite toiling away to the wee hours on Wednesday night, Agassi said that home life went on as normal, with kids Jaden and Jaz coming into wake him up in the morning. He said that he asked wife, Steffi Graf, to keep things as usual but that she let him sleep in until about 8:15 – he didn't get to bed until 4:30 – before sending the troops into the bedroom. In case you're wondering, Jaden's morning routine is building a tent from the covers, while Jaz likes to help daddy prepare his morning coffee.
As to how Graf's past as a tennis superstar works in his favor in the preparation to continue playing, Agassi can't say too much about how "Stef" helps in that regards.
"How she helps me is with understanding the subtleties required to accomplish this task," Agassi said of Graf. "She's been through it. She knows how to create an environment that gives me that platform to succeed. Things that don't need to be said. She's very supportive of the times I have to come out and work, put in time in the gym. And the time you have to rest. Those are the more frustrating times. You are so tempted to burn candle at both ends. You need environment that is constantly aware of demands put on you."
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