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Agassi's legacy Andre easily ranks among the best of the past 20 yearsPosted: Monday September 16, 2002 1:05 PMUpdated: Monday September 16, 2002 4:19 PM
Sports Illustrated senior writer Jon Wertheim will answer your tennis questions every Monday. Click here to send a question. Little-known Spaniard David Ferrer won the first title of his career, beating Jose Acasuso to win the Romanian Open. ... Anna Smashnova, queen of the Tier III, welcomed in the New Year by winning the Shanghai title, beating the other Anna in the final. It was Smashnova's fourth title this year. ... Nice week for Brett "Moose" Stephens, Pete's Sampras' physical trainer. Stephens was in the players' box when Sampras won the U.S. Open last Sunday. A week later, he was on hand in Hawaii as his girlfriend, Cara Black, won the Big Island Championships, her first WTA title, beating Lisa Raymond in the final. ... Local favorite Gustavo Kuerten beat Guillermo Coria 7-6 in the third to win the Brasil Open. ... Taking advantage of Venus Williams' absence, Anastasia Myskina beat Eleni Daniilidou to take the concurrent Brasil Open women's event. ... Speaking of Myskina, she (along with, I believe, Elena Dementieva and the other Anna) will be featured prominently in GQ's upcoming sports issue. ... Speaking of Russians, Yevgeny Kafelnikov injured his hand but rebounded to win the President's Cup in Tashkent. He should be OK for Russia's semifinal Davis Cup tie against Argentina. ... Speaking of D-Cup intrigue (which, now that I write it, sounds like a rejected porn title), the head of Germany's Mannschaft, Herr Michael Stich, resigned last week. Stich openly entertained the idea of adding the forgotten-but-not-gone Boris Becker to the team, which inspired ultimatums against the move from Tommy Haas and Rainer Schuettler. ... Apropos of nothing, is it just me or did any of you fellow hackers feel like you played a little bit better last week, inspired by all that U.S. Open coverage? ... Next time someone suggests tennis needs the defib paddles: According to the latest Simmons data, there are 77 million tennis enthusiasts in America, up 10 percent from last year. Question, questions ... After watching Andre Agassi fall tantalizingly short at the U.S. Open, I've begun to consider what his historical legacy will be. I am in agreement with you that Pete Sampras' victory cements his status as the greatest player of the Open era, but what about Agassi? He does have seven Slams, but he has been maddeningly inconsistent at times, has almost always lost to Sampras on the big stages and, truth be told, has never really been considered the best player in the world for more than fleeting stretches (e.g., 1995, 1999-2000). I would place him in the same class as Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg, a touch below Mats Wilander and a few notches below Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe, who to me were simply more dominant players. (I place Sampras and Bjorn Borg at the top of the heap.) What are your thoughts?
As is always the case when we compare players from different generations, we're faced with the question: Do we assess the player in absolute terms or do we look at him relative to his contemporaries? In either respect, I think you're judging Agassi way too severely. First, your logic is a bit circular: If we concede that Sampras is the greatest player in the Open era, naturally Agassi will have had only fleeting stretches of dominance. Yes, Agassi has been maddeningly inconsistent, but how much does this really cut against him? In my mind, his career revival -- his odyssey from Challengers to Grand Slam winner's circle -- adds to his legacy and speaks to a will and resolve that other players you've mentioned could be accused of lacking. (Take McEnroe, who won his last Slam at age 25, or Wilander, who didn't so much as reach a Grand Slam final after turning 25.) Also, when your career spans nearly 15 years, there are bound to be some valleys. Agassi gets points for longevity: Twelve years ago, Agassi was a top player, as he is today. Perhaps above all, I think you have to give Agassi all sorts of credit for the career Slam, a feat that none of the players you mention above, obviously including Sampras, has achieved. Put it all together (and add subconscious bonus points for his flair and je ne sais quoi) and I think you could make the case that, after Sampras, he is the best player of the past 20 years. Better than Wilander and even better than Lendl, Connors and Mac. (Discuss for next week's class: Agassi vs. Borg.) Everyone is talking about Pete Sampras' game. But what is up with his hair? Can he not get a better haircut, or shave his head like Andre Agassi?
As we saw last week, if he shaved his pate like Agassi, Sampras could pass for the Memphis Grizzlies' starting small forward. Otherwise, just as Sampras has earned the right to walk away from tennis on his terms, so, too, can he wear his hair any way he pleases. (Random aside: Is it me, or do jokes and cracks about hair loss, graying hair and bloated bellies cease being funny once you hit 30?) Don't you think Venus Williams has to come to the net, ˆ la Pete Sampras, to be able to defeat Serena? Three years ago, I thought Venus would become a dominant player if she developed a serve-and-volley game for hard courts and grass. It's quite evident that she cannot defeat her sister from the baseline. If I were 6-foot-1, had speed, agility and great reflexes, I would blanket the net when given the opportunity.
Richard Williams has said the same, asserting that Venus would be a dominant player if she could ever convince herself to serve-and-volley. I'm not sure I agree. Her wingspan and athleticism are unparalleled (Serena notwithstanding), but are her volleys really better than her groundstrokes? You also have to worry about the physical toll of serve-and-volleying, particularly for a player who isn't exactly the Cal Ripken of tennis. Against Serena in particular, it would be nice to see Venus come to the net at times and put pressure on li'l sis to come up with the pass. (Watching Jennifer Capriati-Amelie Mauresmo, I was amazed by how many times Mauresmo attacked and didn't have to hit a second volley because Capriati, feeling the heat, missed her groundstrokes.) But serve-and-volley every time? No way. Serena's passes are way better than Venus's volleys. Bravo to Martina Hingis for attempting an earlier-than-expected comeback, but even her best tennis at the beginning of this year wouldn't hold up to that of many power players. Will anyone ever convince her to bring in a new coach to replace or supplement her mother? Seems to me like Martina Navratilova might be interested and a great fit, given her mid- and late-career reincarnations, not to mention her statement that she believes Hingis still has what it takes to walk away with another Slam. While we're at it, can we find a sports psychologist? I think Hingis was fooling herself when she said that improving physically will take care of the mental part. Building muscle and fitness alone will not repair the brutal emotional scars she must bear from repeated beatings, particularly on big occasions, from all sorts of power players.
Agree and agree. I give Melanie Molitor a lot of credit and, unlike other parent/coaches, her tennis bona fides are unassailable. But it would be nice to see Hingis try to work with someone else, if for no other reason than to have her game come under the microscope of a new set of eyes. (Of course, Hingis has tried to break from her mom in the past and the results were disastrous.) I'm not sure Navratilova is the answer. The "other" Martina is too busy and has too many other interests, projects and ambitions to be a full-time coach. But surely there are other minds out there. Brad Gilbert, anyone? A psychologist would be helpful, too. During her prime, Hingis was hailed as much for her mental strength and prowess as her game. But has she ever recovered from that disastrous 1999 French Open final against Steffi Graf? Her lack of muscle and her recent physical ailments don't explain losses like the ones she endured at the 2000 U.S. Open semis (she must still have nightmares about that overhead) or, worse still, the 2002 Australian Open final. This hasn't always been the case, but today there is no shame -- and no concession -- in retaining a sports shrink. A visit to the head doctor could really help restore her confidence. I agree with you 100 percent that we should back off older players and stop pushing them to retire. Let's enjoy Pete, Andre and Monica while they're around and not focus on the fact that maybe they're not as dominant as they once were. But if you had to give Sampras advice about his career right now, what would it be?
Pete is a big boy and will figure out for himself if and when he should go. I do have one piece of advice for him that will ensure bliss for the following year: Ferberize. How would you assess Sjeng Schalken's serve? I watched him play Pete Sampras in the U.S. Open semifinals, and I cannot understand why he does not bend his knees when he serves.
What's Dutch for "Need oil?" The funny thing about Schalken is the rest of his game is smooth and efficient. The serve, you're right, would be more of a weapon if he bent his legs. I am really offended by Patrick McEnroe's Davis Cup choices. I can understand why Pete Sampras was asked, but since he and Andre Agassi both declined, why wasn't the doubles opportunity given to the Bryan brothers? They are a very good team and would perhaps benefit from that level of exposure and coaching. How is it that McEnroe thinks Mardy Fish is a backup singles player for either Andy Roddick or James Blake? And I love Todd Martin, but his best days are behind him. When is McEnroe going to wake up, get out of the 20th century and give the guys of the future a chance? This is typical of his non-creative, risk-free style -- normally a quality attributed to the USTA -- which stops encouraging players who have a right to the spot.
Several of you wrote in asking about the Bryan brothers' omission. Let's first say that -- as anyone who has coached or played Little League can attest -- it's inherent to team sports that there will be dissatisfaction about lineups and the parceling out of playing time. But your question is valid: The Bryans are, after all, barely a week removed from beating the world's top doubles team. I put the matter to the U.S.'s straight-shooting captain the other day. Pat McEnroe asserted, reasonably, I think, that the Bryans are a great team but, is it a given that they're better than Martin and Blake, who won a Masters Series event together last month? Probably not. Martin and Blake, on the other hand, are unquestionably better singles players. So you go with the more versatile players. Fair enough. (The conspiracy theorist might point out that Martin's longtime coach and friend, Rick Ferman, is a high-ranking USTA executive. But we wouldn't dare suggest that politics could influence a USTA decision.) Why is the defeat of Monica Seles headlined "Big fat Greek upset"? And then it goes on in most derogatory fashion to describe the match. I respect you and your column, but a site that promotes such xenophobic, scurrilous reporting is promoting hatred against a group of people. I hope the writer loses his job, and that Greeks, whether American or from Greece, raise hell. The headline is actually a two-fer ... it dumps on "fat" people as well. This is the worst I've seen. Bad, bad, bad. Reading it makes me feel sick.
Relax, Maryann. Or anapavomai, as the case may be. My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a recent indy movie. (Cute, if a bit frothy; wait till it comes to video.) The headline plays off that. It still might be in questionable taste, but it doesn't warrant anyone losing their job. (My quibble: Daniilidou beating Seles is unexpected, but is it really a "big, fat" upset?) Looking a little down the road beyond the Big Babe brigade, do you see Asian countries moving more to the forefront, or at least producing consistent upper-tier players, like Eastern European countries have done in the last decade? I keep seeing more Asian players making it into main draws, and, as Monica Seles found out at the Open, they show some brilliant moves.
Based simply on physical size, I see no woman from an Asian country who can hang with the Big Babes. That said, there are a number of Asian players -- the [Angelique] Widjaja Sisterhood, so to speak -- who will be popping up in main draws with increasing frequency. Yoon Jeong Cho, the U.S. Open qualifier who gave Seles a good third-round workout, is just one of several. In addition to the veteran Ai Sugiyama, both Saori Obata (who blitzed Alexandra Stevenson at Wimbledon) and Sinobu Asagoe of Japan are top-100 players, as is another Indonesian, Wynne Prakusya. Thanks for referring your readers to Wayne Bryan's columns from the U.S. Open. They were a lot of fun. It was big of you to advertise a rival tennis site.
Thanks, but honestly, a rival site is a golf site. If you're in the market for another tennis destination check out Court Coverage, which does a great job summarizing tennis coverage around the globe. FINALLY, what you've all been waiting for: This week's edition of Long Lost Siblings. Justine Henin and Greta Van Susteren.
Juan Carlos Ferrero and a young Wayne Gretzky.
Check out Eve, the rap star, and Serena Williams. The similar platinum-blonde 'do makes them eerie lookalikes.
Sports Illustrated senior writer Jon Wertheim covers tennis for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com. Click here to send him a question or comment.
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