Agassi Just Can’t Stop Talking About Davis Cup Controversy

Give Andre Agassi this much: He refuses to back down from controversy.

Agassi’s convincing 6-2, 6-3, 6-0 third-round victory against Davide Sanguinetti of Italy normally would have been a positive sign for the semifinal round of the Davis Cup.

But Agassi, who has a scheduling conflict, won’t be in Milwaukee this month playing against Italy. He was asked if he would give the other U.S. players any advice about Sanguinetti.

“Hope Todd Martin [gets] three points or ask Fonzie to play over there in Milwaukee,” he said. “I took care of it. If I was playing Davis Cup, I would take care of it again. But we’re not playing on the West Coast. Don’t get me started.”

But it was enough.

What would Agassi do if he was in charge of recruiting players for the Davis Cup?

“First of all, I would change how decisions get made,” he said. “I wouldn’t have anybody who wears a tie make a decision.”

Tension regarding Davis Cup is not limited to the United States.

“You have professionals [playing] and you have amateurs working for federations,” said Thomas Muster of Austria. “That’s the problem. It’s everywhere the same in the world. They don’t understand what players want. The players don’t understand what officials want. Officials always think it’s an honor to play for your country. In another way, it’s business.

“You can see it from two points. If the players don’t want to play, there’s no Davis Cup team. I’m always putting my side on the players’ side. If you don’t have players, there’s no Davis Cup.”

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In the early morning hours Saturday, Michael Chang could not even sit down to talk about one of the most distressing losses of his career. Chang, who squandered three match points in a five-set, second-round loss to Carlos Moya of Spain, was concerned about cramping.

Additionally, he had to answer some harsh criticism from Agassi. Agassi, who played in the first two Davis Cup matches this year, was vocal about Chang’s decision to not play for the United States in 1998.

“Andre has his opinions about everything,” Chang said. “It’s kind of odd that he always comes and tells you guys and never tells me. . . . I have my reasons for Davis Cup and I don’t think Andre understands the full situation that I’m in.”

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Add Agassi: He was asked about Monica Seles, who rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Monday. The market went down 513 points by the end of the day.

“I can’t blame her for it,” he said. “If you have any superstitions at all, in your approach to the day, I wouldn’t even have her look at downtown over there at Wall Street. Put a roadblock up.”

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Second-seeded Lindsay Davenport--who advanced with a 6-2, 6-1 third-round victory against Virginia Ruano-Pascual of Spain--has found a different way to stay relaxed at the U.S. Open. She is actually braving New York traffic and driving from Manhattan to Queens every day.

“I mean, it’s stupid, but I love to drive,” she said. “Sometimes you get nervous when someone takes you the way you don’t like. This way it’s just really relaxing.

“My coach has a hard time when I drive a little aggressive. I like it a lot more. I’m not driving cross-town, though. I’m just getting on the FDR Drive and I’m out.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

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