Agassi Gets Another Day to Rest

Andre Agassi took his third injection in five days on Saturday for his ailing back. Agassi's third-round match against Benjamin Becker was pushed to Sunday due to rain. (Mike Segar - Reuters)

NEW YORK, Sept. 2 -- Rain washed out Andre Agassi's much anticipated third-round match at the U.S. Open on Saturday, but it failed to wash away the soreness in his lower back -- a consequence, combined with the pounding that two decades of tennis has exacted on his slight frame, of having slugged his way through nine sets to vanquish challengers in the tournament's first two rounds.

So for the third time in five days, Agassi braced himself as a doctor plunged a needle in his back to ease the inflammation that triggers the debilitating pain.

"It beats the alternative," Agassi said as reporters swarmed around him Saturday at the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center, where not a point was contested because of inclement weather.

After hitting on an indoor court in New Rochelle, N.Y., for about 45 minutes, Agassi reported to the complex for an injection of an anti-inflammatory that was administered by a tournament physician. Once informed that his match against German qualifier Benjamin Becker had been postponed until Sunday at 11 a.m., Agassi headed back to Manhattan. He showed no sign of discomfort and dismissed questions about the potential harmful effects of so many injections.

Agassi had his third cortisone injection of the year on Tuesday. Before Sunday's match, he plans to have his third injection of Toradol (a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory) since Thursday.

Said his longtime trainer Gil Reyes: "With us there is no big picture; this is the picture. That's not with a disregard to his long-term health. It's a respect for this time in his life. This is what it has been about. Only he knows inside how he feels about it, but it's pretty clear what he's giving to the moment. It's everything."

Said Agassi, smiling: "I don't need sympathy. I'll be okay."

Saturday's postponement could work both for and against Agassi in the final tournament of his career. The extra day's rest following his five-set victory over Marcos Baghdatis should give him a better chance of rebounding for Sunday's match against the 112th-ranked Becker, who can't quite believe he'll actually get to meet, much less face, his childhood idol.

"I grew up watching him play," said Becker, who is no relation to his other idol, former champion Boris Becker. "It's a dream come true."

If Agassi prevails, he'll have to play his fourth-round match Monday, with little more than 24 hours' rest. That contest could be his toughest yet, with the hard-serving Andy Roddick on track as his potential opponent.

But Agassi is hardly taking victory over Becker for granted, according to Reyes.

"He's not here by invitation," Reyes said of Becker, 25, who won three qualifying matches to earn his first berth in the 128-player draw. "It's Andre's moment, but it's this kid's moment, as well. His hopes and dreams are on the line, as well."