Agassi’s Special Treatment Must End

Andre, Andre, Andre. Put a lid on it, will you?

Andre Agassi’s disqualification from a tournament at Indianapolis last week for the twin sins of ball and verbal abuse brought to an abrupt end his recent run of fine play.

He’s quite correct that the behavior he exhibited in his first-round match was of a kind he has shown “a thousand times,” though he had never been defaulted from a tournament. What he has not figured out is that just because he’s allowed to break the rules on a weekly basis doesn’t mean the rules don’t exist.

Agassi is widely known as having a foul mouth on the court--as do many tour players. The difference is that, when it comes to Agassi, chair umpires seem to go deaf.

His cursing during the Olympic tournament, which Agassi won, was audible to a person of even marginal hearing. Leeway from the chair regarding such language directed at no one in particular is understandably disregarded. Muttering is likewise let go.

But generally, when a player marches to the chair and directs obscene remarks at the umpire, that is not allowed.

Agassi is seldom even given a warning for his comments on the court. That’s the fault of officials who seem to hold Agassi and other top players to a different standard. It’s especially odd that the top players’ cursing is overlooked, as they are the very players who are the center of attention, on television and from the stands.

During Wednesday’s match, Agassi deliberately hit a ball into the stands and was cited for ball abuse by chair umpire Dana Loconto.

Agassi then swore at Loconto, who called for ATP Tour supervisor Mark Darby. After a brief consultation, Darby instructed Loconto to default Agassi.

Agassi does not deny he swore at Loconto. His argument is that when he swears at a chair umpire, he always uses such language. Fascinating logic: “But officer, I always run this light.”

“What I said to Dana was very clear and something I have said a thousand times in the past 10 years,” Agassi said. “All of a sudden, today they decided to say that crosses the line.”

Agassi also argued that his punishment went from a warning directly to default, without being first assessed a point penalty.

“I will take responsibility for getting a warning and I will take responsibility for getting upset on the court, but I will not accept this decision. It was a wrong decision.”

Darby said by approaching the chair umpire directly, Agassi went over the line.

“That’s the first time it’s been said directly to the chair,” he said. “That goes over the limit. That goes over the edge, as far as the code is concerned. It is one that can go straight to default.”

Tournament officials apparently appealed to have the default overturned, not wishing to lose such a drawing card as Agassi. Fans in the stands at the time of the default booed and threw trash on the court. At the Olympics, when Agassi’s doubles match was rescheduled off center court, an uprising ensued.

Clearly Agassi is a fan favorite, and for that tennis should be grateful. But the sport cannot afford to have its biggest stars out of control. Tennis officials should not aid and abet rule breakers by overlooking bad behavior if it comes from a player in the top 10. Inconsistent application of the rules always comes back to haunt, as it did in this case.

Agassi has a point when he argues that his behavior is not out of the norm for him. As an explanation it works. As an excuse, it’s lousy.

*

Venus Williams continues to receive mixed reviews. Now 16, Williams’ game is maturing somewhat. She’s showing signs of having acquired tactical knowledge and often constructs points during a match.

Since turning pro on Halloween in 1994, Williams is still very much a work in progress. She hardly plays--she’s 7-7 in nearly two years on the tour.

The most disappointing aspect of her development came last week at Manhattan Beach, after she played Steffi Graf. Williams, ranked No. 192, has the confidence of youth, which is fine. But she needs to learn about humility and tour politics.

Graf was gracious in commenting about Williams’ potential, but the teenager was less respectful to the world No. 1.

“None of it was very difficult,” Williams said of the match, which she lost, 6-4, 6-4. “None of her game made me go, ‘Whoa,’ and there were no surprises.”

Williams now travels with a double-digit entourage. Her father, Richard, proclaims the only person standing in the way of Venus becoming No. 1 is her younger sister, Serena.

Might be a good idea to actually accomplish something before the Williamses go too far overboard in their bragging.

*

Graf revealed two interesting thoughts last week, one about a male player and the other about a female.

Asked whom she would choose as a mixed-doubles partner, present or past, Graf wasted no time in responding, “John McEnroe.”

Interesting combination.

Asked which player had most pushed her to improve, Graf again answered quickly, “Martina.”

Navratilova, she said, “was always a difficult opponent for me because of the way she plays. Because of her attacking style, I had to improve my backhand. I had to get more aggressive myself. I had to improve my serve. She was the one pushing me, and usually I’m the one pushing.”