|
EXCLUSIVE:
THE
SCOOP: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6
Agassi
keeps door closed on Davis Cup play
By
Matthew Cronin
tennisreporters.net
 |
|
Agassi
Enterprises
|
Despite
his glorious Davis Cup history, Andre Agassi isn't going to reconsider
his decision to swear off the competition forever … even as
Pete Sampras plans to join the team next year.
"I
made a decision a while ago to leave that stage of my career and
give the younger guys an opportunity to play," Agassi told
tennisreporters.net
on
Wednesday night, where he was playing in the Tyco World TeamTennis
Smash Hits to benefit the Elton John Aids Foundation. "It's
been an incredible part of my career but the question I have to
ultimately ask is, 'How much I have in me and where do I give
that?'"
Agassi
and his new wife, former great Steffi Graf, recently gave birth
to a son.
"I
want to play as long as possibly can," said the 31-year-old.
"While the Davis Cup has given me a lot, it also demands
a lot. It's my belief that I don't have the same ability to give
to it and that leaves me not really wanting to take the position
away from those who are out there for all the great reasons."
Agassi
last played Davis Cup in April of 2000 under former coach John
McEnroe, when he lead the team to a quartefinal victory over the
Czech Republic in Los Angeles. Even though he owns one of the
best Davis Cup singles records of all time, the last time he played
in the final with a winning Cup squad was in 1992, when a U.S.
team of Agassi, Jim Courier, Sampras and McEnroe beat the Swiss.
Current
U.S Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe will likely play Sampras
and
Andy Roddick in singles when the team faces Slovakia at home in
February.
|
