第二輪訪問(def. Mayer) - 網球

A. AGASSI/F. Mayer

7-5, 2-6, 6-2, 1-0 (ret)


THE MODERATOR: First question, please.

Q. When they introduced you today, they said this is your 19th US Open.
That stunned me. Does it seem like that many to you? I was just
shocked.

ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, well, I mean, I suppose so. There are a lot of
times where it sort of hits you when you don't expect it, how long
you've been out here doing the same thing, you know. That's certainly
a stat that jumps out when you hear it.


Q. Does it make you feel old? I mean, you're not old.

ANDRE AGASSI: I just don't want to play old. That's what I'm concerned
about out there. You know, I feel like if I can still, you know,
play my tennis, then I'm proud of that.


Q. When you hear guys like Wayne and Todd retire, does it make you
think any more about your own future, make you feel lonely at all?

ANDRE AGASSI: Well, listen, you miss a lot of the guys you grew up with,
your peers that you competed with in some cases since you were eight
years old. So you do miss them. You do feel like the game misses them.
The challenges are still the same out there, though. You got guys
that have a lot of weapons they bring to the table. I feel like that
distracts me from getting too lonely.


Q. How surprised were you when you saw Florian walk towards the net
shaking his head?

ANDRE AGASSI: I sort of feel like I've seen it all. You know, I mean,
you don't come to expect anything one way or the other. You just sort of
deal with what's going on out there. I definitely noticed the edge
come off his game a little bit, and he started living more dangerously
on all his shots. I settled into my game after playing not a good
second set. So I felt like I was only thinking about improving and
finishing the match off strong. I still felt like I had a good
40 minutes of tennis left in me to finish that one off. When he said
that was it, I just shook his hand. Wasn't a whole lot of thinking
I was doing at that point. But, you know, you never expect that.
That's for sure.


Q. Ran the young guy into the ground.

ANDRE AGASSI: Well, I don't know what his injury is, but it didn't
sound good. He said he had that before.


Q. Last year you didn't play between the end of The Open and the
Masters championships in Houston. At Wimbledon, Perry said you
were considering playing a couple tournaments after The Open.
Are you rethinking that?
(這裡記者很迂迴的想問Andre美網打完後會不會退休 @@@@
超級迂迴的所以Andre沒上當
反而很認真的回答他現在的心態
現在要打什麼賽事幾乎都是很機動性的就當下情況決定 調整的
而且Andre覺得自己的家庭為了要讓他在場上安心表現付出很多
也覺得自己處在家人身旁時球打的特別好
所以之後的賽事還沒肯定的計畫...)

ANDRE AGASSI: I don't make any plans after The Open yet one way or
the other. I mean, I think it's very possible I'll play a full fall
schedule. I think it's possible I won't. It's all sort of new to me
right now. I have no specific game plan. It's a delicate balancing act
through the year. I ask a lot of my family to be able to still be
out here giving myself a shot. I also feel like I do much better
when I make sure I'm doing right by them, as well. So my priorities
have shifted over the last few years. It leaves me to make decisions
a little bit more on the go. You know, I'll have to wait and see
on that.


Q. The importance of the question was if you play after The Open,
it would be a signal that you're certainly not considering retiring
at the end of this tournament.
(...然後當記者把意圖講明白問他退休的事
Andre超帥的說 確定美網完沒有要退休! 告訴大家吧! ^^)

ANDRE AGASSI: Well, let this be a signal: I'm not considering retiring
at the end of this tournament (smiling). Let that be a big flare.


Q. It's been noted that you have this extraordinary recall of virtually
all of your matches. Can you think of the most bizarre ending in
your matches, where it ended in a bizarre way?

ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, I mean, there was like 200 some odd times where
I lost (smiling). It just shocked me. I mean, I was blown away by it.
No, I really don't even -- I really wouldn't even know how to register
that question. What's bizarre? To me it's always bizarre when a match
doesn't finish. You can't run out the clock, you got to get past
the finish line. Like today, it's a strange way for a match to end.
I've seen defaults out there. I've been on both ends of that.
So it's a lot of strange stuff.


Q. How important is it for you to get through the first week, the first
three matches, relatively easily given that your last four,
should you make it, will be extremely tough?

ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, you don't want to spend anything unnecessary,
that's for sure. Certainly I don't. But I've always taken that approach:
get off the court as soon as you can. Don't mess around out there
and don't take a three-set match and turn it into a possible five-setter
by getting a little careless. You never want to do that.
But you have to approach it as one match at a time because you never
know when, in hindsight, that match won you the tournament. You know,
you can look back at a lot of different matches where somebody wins
a second round, and they just get through it by the skin of their teeth,
save a few match points. The next thing you know, they find their game,
they get the easy match after the tough match, so their body recovers,
they're in the semis playing for the championship on the weekend.
You never know when that match is going to happen, when it's important
to play your best. You always sort of got to prepare yourself for that.
So you hope things go a certain way. And I certainly hope that I don't
play too long out there the first week. But I'm out there with a plan
of getting through it any way I have to.


Q. You've been through one season of the US Open Series. Can you assess
it from a player, fan, overall sport perspective?
(記者問到Andre對今年開始實行的美網系列賽事的感想
Andre分別依提問的球員的角度, 球迷的角度, 和整個網球運動的角度來討論
Andre覺得這個新制度對每個方面都是雙贏的好創舉.
對球員來說這是個很好的打比賽的動力.

球迷們可以經由系列賽事對網球運動有更深的瞭解,
知道網球最重要的比賽就是四大滿貫賽,
其他的許許多多小比賽地點名字也不再無意義,
而產生了每個比賽的重要性, 成為大比賽的熱身, 狀況試金石

對網球行政體系來說這更是個很有格調的動作,
讓所有人知道 在這運動中的每個人是能夠攜手合作的.
而且如果大家互相利用彼此的資源, 整個網球運動都將受惠
大家通力合作的結果就是每個人都能得到更大的利益.
US Open在四大滿貫賽事中第一個站出來將比賽做這樣的改變與結合,
是一個很有格調又相當睿智寬宏的事.
Andre認為其他滿貫賽事如果不跟從這樣的腳步那就是大走回頭路了)

ANDRE AGASSI: I think the US Open Series is a win-win for everybody
involved in the sport of tennis. It's a win for the players because
it gives us something to really focus on and to care about, to be
motivated by. I think it's great for the fans because they have a way
of understanding what tournaments we're playing, what importance
they do have. It's a great thing for the fans as far as that goes.
It's a great thing for all the governing bodies of the sport to send
a signal that we can work together. If we actually use each other,
the sport benefits as a whole. It just gives us a bigger pie that
gets divided up as opposed to thinking that we're, you know,
stealing from each other, even recognizing the other one.
So for the US Open to sort of step forward and say, "Let's do a series
which highlights all these other tournaments in lead-up to the US Open,"
it takes a lot of integrity and a lot of class. I think the other Slams
would be remiss not to follow in those footsteps.


Q. Do you think this working together could start a trend instead of
all the Balkanization that is common to tennis?

ANDRE AGASSI: I think so. I think it's a clear sign that if we all
work together, the sport benefits, which benefits us all. And that's
the important part. I think that's the part that has been tough over
the years. You know, ever since I've been a part of this sport,
it feels like one governing body feels like they have to look out for
them self and they don't want to sort of support something.
The Grand Slams are the pillars of the game. Nothing's ever going to
change that. They're not going anywhere. They are the sport.
But year-round, we have these tournaments that are important for the
players and are important for the fans. It's a sport that gets to be
brought to the world all year round. If we can somehow work together,
it just reaches a broader network of people. It makes it a bit more of
an understandable sport from the average sport fan who sits in the bar
trying to figure out, "Okay, how important is this tournament?
One is going on in LA, one is going on in Washington, Indianapolis."
There's so many, that you sort of need a measuring stick.
The US Open Series gives the sports fan a chance to understand it.
I think it reaches more people. I think it's more exciting.
I think the whole sport needs to keep taking these steps to become
unified, so we're all about the one product, because it's one heck of
a product.


Q. When you look at the horizon, the younger men, obviously there's
good tennis there, but do you see anybody who is ready to be
sort of a statesman of the game, ready to speak for tennis off
the court also?
(這邊Andre很有感情的談到了Roddick
覺得他將是網球這個運動的很好的推廣者.)

ANDRE AGASSI: Well, you know, that's hard to sort of put your finger on.
It's a learning process. You know, it's understanding and having the
desire, the motivation, the capacity to sort of look at the sport
through the lens of many different needs. You know, I think Andy's
been great. I think a guy like this has come in with a lot on
his shoulders. I feel like he always gives back. He always leaves
his heart out there on the court, which is where it needs to start.
He always has time for the fans. I've never seen him not have time
for people, which is also a great sign. And he has a good heart.
He seems to care about a lot of things passionately. So you see that.
You see the way Federer goes about his business. You see the best
in the world. You know, there's a lot to look forward to.


Q. Can you talk about how well he played against you, considering
he actually hurt himself the first set? Were you surprised at the
unorthodox shots?

ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, he's an awkward player. He's a player that plays
real awkward shots. The way he delivers his backhand, you're convinced
he doesn't have time to bring the racquet head around and hit it
cross-court, yet he can hit that thing like a fireball cross-court.
But sometimes when you have something ailing you, it gives you sort of
a green light in your own mind to take any opportunity you get.
And sometimes it actually helps you as far as living on the edge.
I felt like he was playing dangerously and coming up with a lot of
shots that you would bet over the course of time one can't continually
pull off. But he was doing it for a stage there. It's very possible
that the fact that he was feeling handicapped, he knew that he had to.
Sometimes it's harder when you're trying to make the decisions out there.


Q. How aware are you of the raucous crowd? Does it affect you?
Did you enjoy the cow bell?

ANDRE AGASSI: The cow bell? There was a cow bell out there?
(Andre是不是太專心了啊...:P)


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