Agassi Leaving Much Room for Discussion

It is a measure of the efficiency with which he is dispatching his opponents these days that Andre Agassi’s postmatch news conferences have mostly turned into opportunities for tidbits.

It is, after all, difficult to stir up much strategic discussion about a 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 rout of a little-known player from Argentina. That was Agassi’s 90-minute workday Friday night, under the roof at Rod Laver Arena, where he struck 26 winners, had only 19 unforced errors and won 92 points to 62 for Mariano Zabaleta.

“He has a good game,” Agassi said of the last Argentine in the draw. “He has a big serve, but he got a low percentage of them in tonight [47%]. I think it is a little bit more difficult for him to get set against me and hit his shots. But he’s a good player.”

Actually, Zabaleta hit some sensational shots, but even sensational does not seem to be enough these days against Agassi, who, like the news conference, was quickly on to other things.

He was asked what he would have changed about his game or himself earlier in his career. “Every time I see a picture of me with long hair,” he said, “I want to burn it.”

He was asked if he ever thought about his first pro title, achieved in Itaparica, Brazil. “How could I not?” he said. “I was so excited to win down there that I didn’t even notice all the women walking around in dental-floss bathing suits.”

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Certainly the most high-profile men’s match in the round of 16 will be Agassi against Mark Philippoussis, the hard-serving Australian Davis Cup hero, who carries the nickname “Scud” because his serves have missile-like velocity.

The pair will play Sunday and, as is often the case in tennis these days, the sideshow may steal some of the thunder from the real show.

Agassi’s significant other is Steffi Graf, and while she attends every match he plays, her presence is handled so well by Agassi’s entourage that it has become much less of a circus than might be expected.

But adding Philippoussis as Agassi’s next opponent makes it a new game. Tennis’ teenage diva, Russian Anna Kournikova, has been attending all of Philippoussis’ matches, has been seen with him all over Melbourne Park, and was on the front page of all the newspapers here, sitting with Philippoussis’ father at Philippoussis’ victory over Andrew Ilie on Friday.

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Pete Sampras’ opponent in the round of 16 is Slava Dosedel of the Czech Republic, who is ranked No. 64 and who has lost only two sets in three matches. Also progressing through the top half of the men’s draw Friday was American Chris Woodruff, ranked No. 51, who beat Australian Richard Fromberg and will face No. 11 Tim Henman next.

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Lindsay Davenport made short work of Russian Alina Jidkova in the match leading up to Agassi’s, winning, 6-0, 6-1, in 45 minutes and striking 25 winners. That set up an interesting match between Davenport and Kournikova, which will share the billing with Jennifer Capriati versus Patty Schnyder. Kournikova and Schnyder waded through three-set battles to advance Friday, while Capriati, getting stronger with each match, won in straight sets.

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Former Wimbledon champion Ted Schroeder of Los Angeles, here to do broadcast work, was amused at the discussion over Serena Williams’ red shoes.

“I remember, right after the big war [World War II], I was working out, trying to get ready for one of Perry T. Jones’ Southern California tournaments,” Schroeder said.

“Well, during the war, [on a training mission as a naval aviator over central Florida in 1946], I had lost the engine in my [Corsair], had bailed out and caught the parachute in a tree. I thought I was close to the ground, but when I cut and dropped, it was about 25 feet, so I hurt an ankle.

“So I’m working out on center court [at L.A. Tennis Club, in preparation for the Southern California Championships in ‘46] and along comes Perry T. Jones, and he sees me there with the high-top shoe on. They didn’t make them in white in those days, so he sees the black shoe and kicks me off to the back courts.

“As Jack Kramer and I used to say, the only thing amateur about tennis in Southern California back in those days was the management.”