Family AffairAndre Agassi won a tennis gold medal and the admiration of his dad, a former Olympianby Peter King
ANDRE AGASSI and his dad, Mike, who emigrated from Iran to the U.S. in 1953, aren't the closest father and son. Mike's pressuring Andre to excel on the court since his childhood led to friction and estrangement during Andre's rise to tennis greatness. The two have been friends for some time now, but there was some big-time bonding going on yesterday at Stone Mountain Tennis Center after the men's gold medal singles match.
Agassi played his best match of a bad year and blew away Sergi Bruguera of Spain 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 in 78 broiling minutes. Afterward, Mike, who had surprised his son by flying in from Las Vegas for the final, met Andre at the edge of the stands and hugged him. It was not Mike's first trip to the Olympics. Boxing for Iran under the name of Manuel Aghasi, he competed at the 1948 London Games and the 1952 Helsinki Games but didn't win a medal.
Agassi, who saved his best tennis of the year for the Olympics, was aggressive throughout the final.
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No wonder his son's Olympic victory had special meaning. In fact, both agreed that it was the biggest win of Andre's career, bigger than his 1992 Wimbledon title or his 1994 U.S. Open championship. And no wonder they came together in that bear hug. "A memorable embrace," Andre said. "One we'll have for the rest of our lives."
"This is the closest I will ever come to a gold medal," said Mike, his thick Iranian accent mixing with a cracking voice.
In becoming the first U.S. men's singles gold medalist since Vincent Richards in 1924—tennis was not an Olympic sport from 1928 through '84—Agassi never let Bruguera into the match. The Spaniard contributed 60 unforced errors to the cause, including three when Agassi was serving at 2-2 of the second set. With crosscourt winners and deft drop shots accompanying an accurate serve, Agassi won 10 of the last 12 games. It's a tribute to Bruguera that he didn't tank this match even when his chances became hopeless. He just got his clock cleaned.
So many top-ranked players treat this tournament like some tune-up before the U.S. Open. Not Agassi. He stunned the media throng with his rah-rah Olympic speech afterward. "This is the greatest accomplishment I've ever had in this sport," he said. "The Olympics is the biggest thing you can do in all of sports. Listening to the anthem on the medal stand—it's just incredible. If they want me back in Sydney in 2000, I'll be there."
Agassi made it a sweep for the U.S. in singles play, his victory coming on the heels of Lindsay Davenport's 7-6 (8-6), 6-2 win over Spain's Arantxa Sánchez Vicario for the women's title on Friday. Then, in the women's doubles final last night, Gigi Fernandez and Mary Joe Fernandez of the U.S. defended the gold medal they had won four years ago in Barcelona by beating Helena Sukova and Jana Novotna of the Czech Republic 7-6 (8-6), 6-4. The men's doubles gold was won by a pair of Australians, Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge, although Woodbridge now lives in Orlando.
Agassi's triumph in Atlanta helps offset an awful year on the pro circuit, where he lost to nobodies in the second round at the French Open and in the first round at Wimbledon. "I got a lot of momentum going here," Agassi said. "The way I was playing, I didn't care who was on the other side of the net. This is the way I need to play. When I play with this attacking style, I get more confident with each match."
He played almost stoically against Bruguera, never questioning a call or throwing a fit. Leading 5-1 in the third set, he still wouldn't loosen up. "We love you, man!" one man hollered, and the crowd broke up. Not Agassi. This was serious business. He knew it, and so did his dad.
"This is great moment," Mike Agassi said. "This comes every four years. Wimbledon comes every year. This is most special. Believe me. This is most special."
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