Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, September 13, 1994 TAG: 9410240101
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: Medium
``I can't believe it,'' Andre Agassi said. ``The whole thing.''
Maybe this was the real Agassi on Sunday, a champion at the U.S. Open, producing a 6-1, 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 victory over Michael Stich that had everything to do with substance and precious little with marketing campaigns.
Agassi went into this tournament unseeded and beat five seeded players on his way to the title. Work like that is not done with smoke and mirrors.
Stich does not know Agassi well, but he has seen the glitz and the neon that accompany him wherever he goes. He has seen Barbra Streisand on his arm at one Open, Brooke Shields at another.
He has heard the screeches for Agassi at the National Tennis Center and he has heard the courtside proclamation by U.S. Tennis Association president ``Bumpy'' Frazer hailing Agassi as the most famous tennis player in the world.
Stich does not take kindly to foolishness. And this was not a good afternoon for him, his groundstrokes caught in the wind, his skills diminished by Agassi, his patience tested by the umpire.
But even Stich was struck by the poignance of Agassi alone on the stadium court while the cheers washed over him like the surf.
``If you were standing out there next to him, he was just like a little kid,'' Stich said. ``He didn't know what to say. He was just so happy and I think he is a nice guy.
``He wasn't able to cope with all the things people brought up to him. And everybody was just trying to make his image - companies, television people, ATP, players. And I think the image he has is not the person he is. To get rid of that is very difficult for a young man, and he seems able to do that now a little better.''
Some players simply have to deliver the right shots to win a tournament. For Agassi it is never that simple. This Open became a kind of psychodrama for him, an examination of his strength and will and maturity.
``I think more than anything this is a reflection of my commitment,'' he said. ``If I had gone down to one of these other guys during the week, I would still have been sitting here saying the same thing. I've got to keep on my dreams, and my dreams are to win a tournament like this. That is where it is at - winning the Grand Slams.''
His ATP ranking Monday moved from No. 20 to No. 9. He said it was not unreasonable to think he could become No. 1. If he did it for two weeks, why not longer?
More immediately, he leaves the Open and begins an exhibition tour, starting tonight at Albany, N.Y., against John McEnroe. Agassi said American tennis needs a lift and the tour is important. So much so he will skip this month's Davis Cup series against Sweden.
Agassi, in many ways, rescued the Open, a tournament that played to record attendance and produced a riveting women's final, with Arantxa Sanchez Vicario beating Steffi Graf in three sets.
But it also was a tournament that early on had all the makings of going bust. The men's seeds were losing as if a conspiracy were afoot. At one point, deep into the second week, the prospect loomed of a final between Bernd Karbacher and Jonas Bjorkman.
As tennis struggles to hold its audience, Agassi becomes a bigger player at the table. But he doesn't want to play hero. He just wants to play better tennis. The rest will have to take care of itself.
``What I give for the game and what I do for the game is solely based on me and who I am,'' he said. ``Not anything I need to continue acting out. Everybody thinks of image, and that image is everything. I will probably hear it for the rest of my life. But, no, I don't feel pressure and, no, I think the game is going to survive whether I am around or not.''
by CNB