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U.S. Open Tennis: Agassi's silent treatment pays off
International Herald Tribune
Chris Broussard NYT
Wednesday, September 8, 2004
NEW YORK Before facing an opponent, particularly a top-flight one,
Sargis Sargsian sometimes receives advice from Andre Agassi.
In a telephone conversation the night before the match, Agassi
will break down the opponent's game and give Sargsian a blueprint
for victory.
On Sunday night, however, the two friends did not speak. Sargsian's
opponent in the fourth round of the U.S. Open on Monday was Agassi
himself, a two-time Open champion who did not want to take any chances.
Agassi, seeded sixth, came away with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory, advancing
to the quarterfinals for the 12th time in his 19 trips and setting
up a high-profile match on Wednesday with top-seeded Roger Federer.
"I'll go out there with the intention of having to play my best
tennis," said Agassi, whose last match against Federer was a 6-4,
3-6, 4-6 loss at Indian Wells, California, in March. "That's the good
news playing him, if that is good news. There's not a whole lot of
thinking. You better shoot for your best stuff right away, not take
your foot off the pedal. But if I can hit my shots aggressively and
play to the standard I know I can, I have every intention of winning
the match."
Federer could be a bit rusty. He received a walkover on Monday when his
fourth-round opponent, Andrei Pavel, withdrew because of a herniated
disk in his lower back.
"I think not playing in four days is not ideal for him," Agassi
said. "Going out there in a big environment is something that he has
proven to be the best at this year. I'm going to try to give something
for the crowd to cheer about."
Fifth-seeded Tim Henman also advanced to the quarterfinals after
19th-seeded Nicolas Kiefer retired three games into the fifth set
with a wrist injury. Henman won, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-1, 6-7 (4-7), 3-0.
Meanwhile the magical run is over for Olivier Rochus, the diminutive
- 5-foot-5, 130-pound, or 1.67-meter, 59-kilogram - unseeded Belgian
who had defied all odds by reaching the fourth round.
Despite taking the first two sets from 22nd-seeded Dominik Hrbaty of
Slovakia, Rochus fell, 2-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-0, after being slowed
by leg cramps late in the match.
Rochus, 23, was ranked 100th in the world and had never won a match
in four previous appearances in the U.S. Open. In fact, he had won
only one set here.
Sargsian, 31, who was in the fourth round of a Grand Slam event on
Monday for only the second time in his career, simply could not figure
out - or carry out - a plan of attack.
"For me, it's strange to play Andre, to be honest," said Sargsian,
who is 0-6 against Agassi. "I really hope this is the last time I play
him. I don't feel like I have a game plan against him, like I don't
know how to win the points. You cannot serve and volley, you cannot
play him from the back, you cannot hustle because you know he's not
going to miss. He's going to make you run until tomorrow morning."
Sargsian had seemingly been running all tournament long, logging 12
hours five minutes of court time - seven hours more than Agassi had
played - through the first three rounds. His second-round victory over
10th-seeded Nicolas Massu lasted 5:09 and was the second-longest match
in U.S. Open history. Two days later, he edged Paul-Henri Mathieu of
France, 4-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4), in a match that lasted 4:44.
Sargsian, who is Armenian, and Agassi, met seven years ago in
California. Agassi said he was a bundle of nerves while watching
Sargsian's match with Mathieu on television.
"I've never been so nervous in my life," he said. "It's a lot easier
playing than watching when you really care about it. I was pulling
for him. It was a great display of tennis and heart, by both players."
Against Agassi, who is 34 years old, Sargsian could not display the
same level of tennis acumen. He committed 43 unforced errors, more
than double the amount Agassi committed.
Although perhaps not at the top of his game, Agassi was sharp. Playing
at his typically torrid pace, he seemed to have Sargsian off
balance. Despite his feelings for Sargsian, he held nothing back.
"I don't think it's quite as comfortable playing against somebody that
you root for," Agassi said. "I mean, if I were to lose, I probably
wouldn't want to lose to anybody more than him, if that makes any
sense at all.
"But you have a lot of respect for each other personally -
professionally, too. In order to maintain that respect, both guys
have to go out there and lay it on the line and give a hug afterwards."
But no advice beforehand.
The New York Times
International Herald Tribune
Chris Broussard NYT
Wednesday, September 8, 2004
NEW YORK Before facing an opponent, particularly a top-flight one,
Sargis Sargsian sometimes receives advice from Andre Agassi.
In a telephone conversation the night before the match, Agassi
will break down the opponent's game and give Sargsian a blueprint
for victory.
On Sunday night, however, the two friends did not speak. Sargsian's
opponent in the fourth round of the U.S. Open on Monday was Agassi
himself, a two-time Open champion who did not want to take any chances.
Agassi, seeded sixth, came away with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory, advancing
to the quarterfinals for the 12th time in his 19 trips and setting
up a high-profile match on Wednesday with top-seeded Roger Federer.
"I'll go out there with the intention of having to play my best
tennis," said Agassi, whose last match against Federer was a 6-4,
3-6, 4-6 loss at Indian Wells, California, in March. "That's the good
news playing him, if that is good news. There's not a whole lot of
thinking. You better shoot for your best stuff right away, not take
your foot off the pedal. But if I can hit my shots aggressively and
play to the standard I know I can, I have every intention of winning
the match."
Federer could be a bit rusty. He received a walkover on Monday when his
fourth-round opponent, Andrei Pavel, withdrew because of a herniated
disk in his lower back.
"I think not playing in four days is not ideal for him," Agassi
said. "Going out there in a big environment is something that he has
proven to be the best at this year. I'm going to try to give something
for the crowd to cheer about."
Fifth-seeded Tim Henman also advanced to the quarterfinals after
19th-seeded Nicolas Kiefer retired three games into the fifth set
with a wrist injury. Henman won, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-1, 6-7 (4-7), 3-0.
Meanwhile the magical run is over for Olivier Rochus, the diminutive
- 5-foot-5, 130-pound, or 1.67-meter, 59-kilogram - unseeded Belgian
who had defied all odds by reaching the fourth round.
Despite taking the first two sets from 22nd-seeded Dominik Hrbaty of
Slovakia, Rochus fell, 2-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-0, after being slowed
by leg cramps late in the match.
Rochus, 23, was ranked 100th in the world and had never won a match
in four previous appearances in the U.S. Open. In fact, he had won
only one set here.
Sargsian, 31, who was in the fourth round of a Grand Slam event on
Monday for only the second time in his career, simply could not figure
out - or carry out - a plan of attack.
"For me, it's strange to play Andre, to be honest," said Sargsian,
who is 0-6 against Agassi. "I really hope this is the last time I play
him. I don't feel like I have a game plan against him, like I don't
know how to win the points. You cannot serve and volley, you cannot
play him from the back, you cannot hustle because you know he's not
going to miss. He's going to make you run until tomorrow morning."
Sargsian had seemingly been running all tournament long, logging 12
hours five minutes of court time - seven hours more than Agassi had
played - through the first three rounds. His second-round victory over
10th-seeded Nicolas Massu lasted 5:09 and was the second-longest match
in U.S. Open history. Two days later, he edged Paul-Henri Mathieu of
France, 4-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4), in a match that lasted 4:44.
Sargsian, who is Armenian, and Agassi, met seven years ago in
California. Agassi said he was a bundle of nerves while watching
Sargsian's match with Mathieu on television.
"I've never been so nervous in my life," he said. "It's a lot easier
playing than watching when you really care about it. I was pulling
for him. It was a great display of tennis and heart, by both players."
Against Agassi, who is 34 years old, Sargsian could not display the
same level of tennis acumen. He committed 43 unforced errors, more
than double the amount Agassi committed.
Although perhaps not at the top of his game, Agassi was sharp. Playing
at his typically torrid pace, he seemed to have Sargsian off
balance. Despite his feelings for Sargsian, he held nothing back.
"I don't think it's quite as comfortable playing against somebody that
you root for," Agassi said. "I mean, if I were to lose, I probably
wouldn't want to lose to anybody more than him, if that makes any
sense at all.
"But you have a lot of respect for each other personally -
professionally, too. In order to maintain that respect, both guys
have to go out there and lay it on the line and give a hug afterwards."
But no advice beforehand.
The New York Times