Title Could Really Make Things Grand for Agassi

They were getting used to seeing champions with flowing manes here at the French Open. Carlos Moya last year. Gustavo Kuerten the year before.

But that was then, and this year’s men’s tournament has turned into a battle between two follicle-challenged longshots, 13th-seeded Andre Agassi and Andrei Medvedev, the 100th-ranked Ukrainian, meeting today for the singles championship.

Medvedev, 24, became a crowd favorite when he knocked off Pete Sampras and Kuerten and declared his renewed love for his girlfriend, tennis player Anke Huber. Agassi became a sympathetic figure at age 29, coming off a recent divorce from actress Brooke Shields.

Lightly regarded and injured two weeks ago, Agassi is on the verge of tennis history. A victory will put him in exclusive company. Four other men have won all four Grand Slam tournaments: Don Budge and Rod Laver won each of the Slam events in the same calendar year. Fred Perry and Roy Emerson won all four Slam events during their careers, but not in the same year and not consecutively.

Laver, who did it twice, completed his last Slam in 1969. Agassi would be the first one, however, to win four Slam events on four surfaces. He won Wimbledon (grass) in 1992, the U.S. Open (hard court) in 1994 and the Australian Open (1995) on Rebound Ace. Laver, Budge, Emerson and Perry accomplished it on two surfaces, grass and clay.

“Yes, it would be an incredible achievement,” Agassi said.

He paused.

“I haven’t done it yet.”

But Agassi moved a step closer, surviving a nervous night. His semifinal match against Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia was stopped because of rain just before the fourth game of the fourth set Friday and resumed Saturday afternoon before the women’s final.

Agassi was leading in sets, 2-1, but the youngster, Hrbaty, was playing well in the rainy, heavy conditions on the clay courts Friday. On Saturday, Agassi fought off two break points in the fourth game of the fourth set and prevailed, 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 6-4.

“The conditions [Friday] were starting to favor his style more than mine,” Agassi said. “When conditions change that dramatically in the middle of a match, it’s hard to make the adjustment. I was glad to stop and wish we had stopped 15 minutes earlier.”

Said Hrbaty: “I played a little better in the rain. The balls were heavier, so he couldn’t hit the ball that hard.”

The conditions were clear just long enough for Agassi to finish the match. Shortly afterward, the rain returned and delayed the start of the women’s final.

This will be Agassi’s third French Open final. He lost to Andres Gomez in 1990 and to Jim Courier 1991.

“In ’90 and ‘91, I struggled a lot with the actual Xs and O’s of the matchup between me and my opponents,” he said.

“I didn’t have the same direction in my career as I do now, or the same experience, personally.”

Medvedev solved his personal problems after reuniting with Huber. And Agassi has been playing well since settling his private life. He was asked about the connection.

“No, I don’t feel like him being in love makes any difference to me, outside he’s a good guy and I’m happy to hear that,” Agassi said. “I prefer if he let his girlfriend play for him, with all due respect to her game.”

Joking aside, he doesn’t want to directly link his divorce with his subsequent success.

“I would hate to give the impression that’s the case because that would mean during the beautiful years that I shared with Brooke, [that] somehow interfered with my tennis,” he said.

“I think we constantly make choices in life. The choice I made in my personal life was a very important personal decision. But the one I made with my tennis was also a very calculated, specific decision.

“I can’t honestly say that one has to do with the other, necessarily. I’m definitely really focused on my tennis.”

Which is why Agassi refused to say how he will go about beating Medvedev.

“I know too much to answer that. Sorry,” he said.

Today’s Matches

Men’s Single Final

Andre Agassi vs. Andrei Medvedev

Women’s Doubles Final

Venus and Serena Williams vs. Martina Hingis and Anna Koumikova

Channel 4, 6 a.m. PDT