Agassi Has a Winning Attitude

All in all, it was a fairly busy week for Andre Agassi. He bleached his hair, got a new attitude and saved the U.S. Davis Cup team.

As the sound of singer Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” reverberated through Kemper Arena Sunday afternoon, Agassi did a quick spin near the net, waved to the crowd and swung a couple of roundhouse rights, having made sure the U.S.-Germany Davis Cup semifinal ended on a happy note, just like the prerecorded music.

The Unites States, its 2-0 lead blown, was tied with Germany, 2-2, after Michael Stich tattooed Jim Courier, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4, in Sunday’s first match, meaning that in the fifth and final match, Agassi could either cement his reputation as one of the pre-eminent chokers of our time or, well, rescue America.

All hail Andre the Hero. Agassi wiped out nemesis Carl-Uwe Steeb, 6-2, 6-2, 6-3, in 1 hour 45 minutes of calculated clay-court mayhem, which not only put the United States into the Davis Cup final against France with a 3-2 decision, but also expelled a few demons from Agassi’s already bursting closet.

That list included three defeats in Grand Slam finals, plus a galling four-set loss to Steeb in Munich that decided the 1989 Davis Cup semifinal with Germany when Agassi seemed to all but give up and the United States fell, 3-2.

“That match was in the back of mind since Steeb won it,” Agassi said. “That’s all I was thinking about. But I’ve come a long way since then.”

The Germans came a long way to lose without their best player, Boris Becker, but after Saturday’s straight-set win by Stich and Eric Jelen over outclassed Davis Cup rookies Scott Davis and David Pate, followed by Stich’s straight-set victory over Courier, the U.S. hopes to defend its Davis Cup title belonged totally to Agassi.

Tom Gorman, the U.S. captain, wasn’t the least bit worried.

“From the very first point, it was obvious that Andre was on,” Gorman said. “He wanted it.

“I think this is a little bit of a monkey off his back. He’s been troubled by a lot of statements that he has had trouble winning some big matches.”

Agassi clearly had no trouble winning a big match Sunday. He streaked to a 4-0 lead in the first set and never looked back. Steeb held just two break points and got neither while Agassi converted six of seven breaks.

What’s more, just as he had done Friday afternoon in beating Stich, Agassi dropped winners all over the clay as if he were crop-dusting. He had 43 winners, 20 from his forehand, which even German captain Nikki Pilic found impressive.

“He must have hit about 35 lines,” Pilic said. “He is a world-class player and had a chance to prove today that he is Andre Agassi and that is what he did.”

Besides his new hair color, Agassi came to Davis Cup with a new attitude, brought on by his first-round loss to Aaron Krickstein at the U.S. Open. Basically, Agassi decided to welcome competition instead of shying away from it.

In Agassi’s mind, there was no better way of proving his new philosophy than by playing Steeb in a hugely important match.

“No offense to Jim (Courier), but I wanted the chance to play in a crucial situation,” he said. “Before, I didn’t want the opposition. Absolutely not. I’m really starting to use competition as a challenge. I’m starting to get a good feel to where my potential should be.”

If he had lost to Steeb, Agassi said he would have been prepared to take his lumps.

“I don’t think if I had lost this match it could have been any worse than what I’ve gotten in the past,” Agassi said.

Courier found his chances to be few. Digging in against Stich’s big serve, Courier could have used a foxhole.

The only time Courier broke Stich was for 4-4 in the third set, but it hardly mattered by then. Stich broke him right back for 5-4 and served out the match at love with Courier ending it as he sent a service return into the bottom of the net.

“What can you do?” Courier said.

Apparently, not too much. Stich unloaded 10 aces and seven service winners on Courier, won 75% of his first serves and made it interesting for Agassi in the deciding match.

After winning the first two sets in 70 minutes, Agassi scored the key break in the third set for 4-3.

“Without sounding too egotistical, I just felt like I was in total control,” he said. “In the third set, it was just a matter of time.”

And it was just a matter of time until Agassi concluded his celebrating by bowing to the crowd.