Interview after game with R. Schuettler - 網球

Andre Agassi
Saturday, November 15, 2003

A. AGASSI/R. Schuettler
5-7, 6-0, 6-4


THE MODERATOR: Andre advances to his fourth year-end championship final.
He's attempting to become the oldest player to win the year-end
championship. Questions.

Q. How you can play very good here and there and what is your secret?

ANDRE AGASSI: You know, it's never been anything more than hard work
and smart, smart training and preparation. Trying to keep yourself
healthy and feeling good.


Q. What was going right for you in that second set?

ANDRE AGASSI: Well, I picked up the pace of my shots a little bit in the
second. You know, first set it was pretty humid out there. The balls
were pretty heavy. I was a little reluctant to be too aggressive because,
really, with a guy as quick as Rainer, the last thing you want to do is
settle into a match where you're the one taking all the chances.

You know, I was working the ball around. Trying to make him earn his
points; and he did.

In the second I just felt like I had no choice but to try to step up a
little bit on my shots. You know, he seemed to come down a notch himself.


Q. When he came down a notch and got a break in the third, you got the
break in the third, he came back again. Were you surprised he didn't
stay down?

ANDRE AGASSI: No. No, I mean, at some point, you forget about what you're
complaining about and you start thinking about the fact that, "I'm about
to be off this court if I don't do something different."

So, you know, we all go through frustrations out there. Some days you
deal with it better than others.

But I knew it was gonna be hard to close that one out.


Q. Did you understand what he was complaining about?

ANDRE AGASSI: I don't know if he was complaining.


Q. He seemed really distracted by something.

ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, did you ask him? He was just in here (laughter).


Q. Seriously, he wouldn't say. He said he shouldn't tell us.

ANDRE AGASSI: (Smiling). He's probably showing good judgment then.

Yeah, I'd just be guessing.


Q. When you look back on your record, from what Shark has just said,
do you think it seems a bit strange you've only actually won the
season-ending championship once back in 1990?

ANDRE AGASSI: "Strange"?


Q. Not more, when you look at the rest of your record.

ANDRE AGASSI: You know, it's not an easy tournament. I mean, I don't
know what to say. There's been, you know, a lot of years where I've sort
of come to this tournament a bit more spent than prepared. And, as you
get older, the end of a long year becomes sort of more of a factor.
I've spent sort of the better part of my career being older (laughter).

So it's never really lended for necessarily a great environment, but for
me, a great platform for me to be at my best.

With that being said, you got to beat the eight best players in the
world. It's not easy. Two months off, I came in here with some questions.
Am I going to be ready? I felt good, but there's a lot you still have to
get through out there on the court.

It's turned out to be a pretty good decision, one that I probably should
have made more often the last few years.


Q. How long ago does it seem, that 1990 victory in the tournament?

ANDRE AGASSI: A lifetime. Lifetime.


Q. Against either Andy or Roger, do you think you'll have to be a little
bit more consistent in the match tomorrow?

ANDRE AGASSI: You know, certainly every match presents different
scenarios. I mean, a guy like Roger doesn't allow you to just lay off
shots. I mean, he has firepower from a lot of different points. And so
does Andy.

So, you know, I got to step up on the shots that are there for me to step
up on and not hesitate. Execute my game at the best level.


Q. As an athlete, you can shut off the crowd when you want to. Maybe
feed from the crowd when you want to. How often did that happen today?

ANDRE AGASSI: You know, today it was sort of pretty workman-like. I had
to sort of stay very focused. I guess in the middle of the third when he
broke back and held to go 3-2, it would have been an easy time to get a
little discouraged.

But the crowd probably came into helping me there.

You know, but for the most part, I was thinking about Rainer and what his
game was doing and what I needed to be adjusting to.


Q. Were you satisfied with your serve? It looks like you picked up your
serve in the third set or were going for more on the first serve
anyway.

ANDRE AGASSI: When somebody gets a little bit more tired, they're not
quite as ready to pounce on certain shots. So as long as I'm getting
away with my second serve, I can take more chances with the first.
I felt like I was getting away with my second serve.


Q. Gil Reyes is important in your tennis life?

ANDRE AGASSI: Yes.


Q. Why?

ANDRE AGASSI: Well, he's kept me out here for -- we've been together
14 years. You know, he's kept me getting better as an athlete,
consistently. He's helped me through some pretty difficult times.

He's the reason why I'm still here.


Q. You seem very comfortable in your role as the kind of elder statesman.
Are there times when you don't want to hear you're the oldest this or
the oldest that?

ANDRE AGASSI: Well, I mean, stats are stats. My age is irrelevant to me
when I'm on the court. When I'm off the court, I don't really think about
it until you sort of hear those things.

That is sort of less frustrating than the questions of, you know
"can you still do it?"

When the age is brought up from the standpoint of where you are now with
the game of tennis, it's like, listen, the tennis speaks for itself;
there's no guesswork out there. You can't bluff your way through anything.

So I can't get around being 33 years old. You could say it one time or
100 times; it sounds the same to me.


Q. How important is Brad being around Andy in this year for him, do you
think, in your opinion?

ANDRE AGASSI: Well, I don't know about their relationship. I know
literally nothing about it.

But I would imagine, and I would be assessing it just from the standpoint
that everybody else does, which is certainly Andy's results, he's come
a long ways. He's won a lot of close matches that maybe in the past he
hadn't got over that hump.

Look at his tiebreak record. You look at how many close sets he's played
this year and how many of those he's won. Sometimes that's what it takes,
just that little bit extra.


Q. Details?

ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, I mean... You know, only Andy can say if he gives
the credit to Brad. No, not me.


Q. How do you feel today physically and about your game compared to
when you walked off the court as a champion in the clay courts here
in April?

ANDRE AGASSI: Well, I was heading into the clay court season, which is
always difficult for me.

You know, I feel good. I feel like I've done some smart things since the
Open, and I feel after this tournament I'll be in a better position to
make some more good choices in preparation for Australia.

Hopefully, I can have another good year.


Q. How long did you lay off completely after the Open? Or you really
didn't do anything physical?

ANDRE AGASSI: Anything physical at all?


Q. Tennis training?

ANDRE AGASSI: Well, on the court, you know, I was struggling with my hip
for a long time throughout the year. So I needed to give that rest from
any trauma to it at all.

That was probably a good four weeks of not being on the tennis court.


Q. You worked out with Gil a little bit?

ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, I was always training.


Q. When did your hip start bothering you?

ANDRE AGASSI: Long time ago, back during the clay season.


Q. Taking your talents into consideration, if you hadn't chosen tennis,
is there another sport you think they would have translated well into
for you?

ANDRE AGASSI: I suppose anything that was a function of hitting a ball
- and probably, ideally , that the ball would be moving, not sitting on
a tee (laughter).

You know, I'm not sure about catching it and throwing it, but, you know,
I'd be able to hit something. Maybe you could give me some suggestions,
which sport I could play (smiling).


Q. Hasn't Darren got you out to the golf courses enough yet?

ANDRE AGASSI: I've been out there, but it's a lot more difficult to hit
something that's not moving.


Q. Considering that No. 1 really isn't a priority and the Grand Slams
are, how important is this tournament to you?

ANDRE AGASSI: Well, this comes at a time that's very important for me.
It's been an opportunity for me to get in some great matches in between
ending a year and starting another one. Not to mention the sort of
confidence that I can gain from knowing that I'm doing some things right
still and have a lot to still look forward to.


Q. So you want to get some sets under your belt, a little more than you
bargained for at this point?

ANDRE AGASSI: I came here expecting it to be tough. It's tougher every
year.


Q. How much has your game changed since the first match against Federer,
do you think?

ANDRE AGASSI: Well, it was actually a quality match Roger and I played.
The difference is sort of how you play those real crucial points. I think
a good example of that was when Nalbandian was serving 4-5 matchpoint to
me, 30-40. He missed the first serve. I hit a quality return on the
second serve as opposed to just dumping it into the net like I did
against Roger.

So I think that's just a function of playing some matches and staying
relaxed at the time when you need to really execute your shots.


Q. If it ends up being you and Andy, who do you think Mac is going to
cheer for?

ANDRE AGASSI: That doesn't matter to me. What matters to me is that an
avid sports fan of tennis has the platform and the right to express his
enthusiasms for the game. And if it requires him to go sit up in the top
row like he did with the real tennis nuts, you know, tennis fans that
come out, then God bless him. I think tennis is served for him
participating not only financially but also with that kind of spirit.


Q. What do you think of the crowds here?

ANDRE AGASSI: They've been great. Obviously there's a strong support for
the American players. We travel the world and we play everywhere, so it's
nice to be home.


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