ONLY SECOND WEEK AWAY FROM FAMOUS FAMILY

Agassi plays with limitations on his time
Kafelnikov ponders his position; Safin sent packing

By Sandra Harwitt
tennisreporters.net

Susan Mullane Camerawork USA, Inc.

FROM CINCINNATI – Accepting the inevitable – that getting older comes with a downside for an athlete – Andre Agassi readily admits that at 32 years old, his career these days comes with some concessions and limitations.

After winning the title in L.A. two weeks ago, Agassi incurred a large fine for stepping away from last week’s Tennis Masters Series event in Toronto. Outside of the financial ramifications of his choice to skip Toronto – he was docked $80,000 for failing to show – Agassi insists that he made a smart decision in staying home.

“Yeah, it wasn’t right for me to play,” Agassi said after his 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 first-round win over Younes El Aynaoui at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters. “I was nursing an injury all week in L.A. and I don’t have four weeks in a row in me anymore. I can’t take for granted the fact that one day off and I can turn some sort of corner. I need to pay attention to every sort of kink I may feel, and I have to give myself the rest and the reason to go hard again.”

As for the fine, Agassi questions the cross the board nature of the rule, but accepts its existence. “Well I certainly am aware that it’s part of the system,” Agassi said. “I don’t think it is a great rule by any means. I mean, I think somewhere along the line – the difficulty in the expectations that I can play the same schedule that a 20-year-old can play. I can’t do it. So either I don’t play anymore or I do it the only way I can and accept the penalties that go along with it which, unfortunately, is pretty darn steep.”

Agassi eschews the common belief that a guy who was used to being No. 1 in the world should find it difficult to comply with the limitations that aging has taken on present accomplishments.

“Well, you don’t win every week when you are young,” he said. “You want to, hopefully, feel like when you play your best you can win any given week. I think that’s the motivation and the inspiration and that you have a chance to accomplish more. To repeat what you have done – for me, that’s my motivation. Might not be every week, but I go into big tournaments feeling if I play my best tennis I can win and that’s critical for me, at least, at this stage.”

AWAY FROM THE FAMILY
This Cincinnati tournament, which every year brings out the big guns of the sport, marks only the second week since Agassi’s son, Jaden Gil, was born last October 26, that he’s been away from the baby and wife, Steffi Graf. He not only learned a few new things from being a father, but says he’s found out some new things about Steffi, too.

“I learned that she’s a better mom than I even thought she would be, which is saying a lot,” Agassi said. “I have been blessed because I have a wife that’s phenomenally supportive and I think this week is the second week all year that I have had to be away from them which is pretty amazing. So the focus is harder in some respects but easier in others because I mean, it’s impossible for me to spend a week away from my family, go out on the court and not give it everything I have. I am away from my family – I might as well be doing this for a reason, and so I find that it’s harder for me to have bad days from a focus standpoint, but it’s also negotiations with your time, so that’s the other side of it.”

In a particularly introspective mood, Agassi allowed that he is somewhat surprised at the adoration he receives from fans. Looking at himself from an inside perspective, Agassi clearly isn’t seeing the person the media often paints as an outgoing individual.

“I consider myself quite boring, to be honest,” Agassi said. “Most people should feel pretty good that they don’t have to live with me. I mean, I have been around more exciting people before, that’s for sure. For me, it’s just a function of trying to give people that show me so much love, what it is that they want when they come to a tennis match. So I try hard to show my appreciation through my game and through my efforts.”

Kafelnikov ponders his position

Last week in Toronto, Yevgeny Kafelnikov lasted three rounds before being ousted by eventual champion Guillermo Cañas of Argentina. This week, the former two-time Grand Slam champion was dumped out of the Cincinnati tournament in the first round, falling to Ranier Schuettler of Germany 6-3, 6-2 on Monday morning.
Kafelnikov has the talent to be brilliant and the head to lose his focus – two abilities that have enabled him to experience some monumental highs and disappointing lows in his career.

At 28 years old, with the ’96 Roland Garros and ’99 Australian Open titles among his prized possessions, Kafelnikov is at a definite crossroads in his career. While he often questions his commitment to the game these days, he never wavers from his desire to win a Davis Cup for Russia before he retires. This year could be a golden opportunity for him to bring the Cup home to the motherland as Russia heads into the September semifinals against Argentina while the French take on the Americans in Paris.

But there’s definitely no denying that with each day, Kafelnikov is feeling the younger players nipping at his heels and it’s a sensation he’s not accustomed to handling.

“Believe it or not, it does happen fast,” said Kafelnikov, when asked about the younger players taking him on and doing it well. “You feel like it has been like yesterday, that you were basically unbeatable, you were strong in the head, but all of a sudden those guys have beliefs that they can do it, and to deal with that kind of pressure and to deal with it, it’s not an easy way. It’s not an easy thing; especially when you have been here so much on the top for a long period of time and then all of a sudden you are back on a level with very average guys.”

Considering himself in a similar situation to fellow veteran Pete Sampras, Kafelnikov boils down the situation simply. “We have the ability to play the best level of the game, no question, but it is just whether you want to do it or not.”

Safin sent packing

Susan Mullane Camerawork USA, Inc.

Second-seeded Marat Safin joined Kafelnikov on the Cincinnati sidelines, allowing crafty left-handed Briton Greg Rusedski to secure the upset with a 7-6 (9-7), 6-2 first round victory. The ’00 U.S. Open champion, Safin started the year on a high note by reaching the Australian Open final. He also reached the semifinals at the French Open, but on the grass courts at Wimbledon, where it would be thought his megaton serve would make him a serious contender, he was ousted in the second round by the diminutive Olivier Rochus of Belgium. It was a bad day at Wimbledon on that first Wednesday this year – Safin’s departure was followed in quick order by Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi only a few hours later.

Safin, who squandered three set points in the first set of the match, was having one of his psychological meltdowns after the outing, unable to decipher the loss.

“I lost my game,” Safin said, continuing through to a long and dramatic diatribe. “I have no confidence and it’s really sad that the train is going away and I cannot jump on it. It’s really sad. I don’t have any shot, any special shot to play against all these guys and to beat them. I feel like I cannot beat them. It’s terrible. I’m not satisfied with the way I’m playing. I have no idea how fix it. I completely lost it, lost in the first round of Cincinnati and it’s pissing me off. I’m not sure how I’ll play at the U.S. Open and try to win it. Nobody can help me – it’s really sad. I’m supposed to be fighting for No. 1 in the world and supposed to have won a big one (title) this year.”

And, on he continued, but the gist of the conversation remained the same.