Agassi Gets Another Day to Rest

By Liz Clarke
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, September 3, 2006

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."

While Agassi has become the story of the 2006 U.S. Open, Becker is so obscure that he was kicked out of Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday night while trying to watch the Agassi-Baghdatis match. Without a ticket, Becker wasn't allowed to even scout his next opponent while standing in an aisle. An usher asked him to leave, so he went back to his hotel to watch on TV.

"It was an unbelievable match," Becker said Friday. "I was really impressed with the way they both played and how tough they were, too."

Unlike Agassi, who was groomed by his father to become a tennis champion, Becker picked up the sport by accident at age 7, stumbling upon an old tennis racket in his family's garage. A neighbor taught him the basics, and he played in his back yard, pretending he was Andre Agassi.

"That's what we said: 'I'm Agassi!' " Becker recalled. "That's what you do when you're younger. You see those guys on TV and you just want to imitate them."

Becker was never identified as a prodigy the way Agassi was. Only one American college offered him a tennis scholarship, so he enrolled at Baylor, not knowing the slightest thing about Waco, Tex.

"First time I came to America was Waco," Becker said. "I was a little surprised. I was expecting all skyscrapers."

A business major one semester shy of graduating, he led the Bears to the 2004 NCAA title. But his transition to pro tour was as rocky as his introduction to America.

Becker was ranked roughly No. 1,400 in the world this time a year ago. Since signing with veteran coach Tarik Benhabiles, whose previous charges include Roddick, he has climbed to 112. According to Benhabiles, Becker's best stroke is his service return, and his chief asset is his ability to manage his emotions. He'll need it against Agassi, who brings the support of 23,000 fans to every match.

"He has to be able to erase in his mind that he's playing Agassi," Benhabiles said. "I don't want him to be impressed by the résumé of Andre Agassi."

Asked if he had ever competed in a match in which the entire stadium rooted against him, Becker said that he had -- when Baylor played at Texas Tech.

"People were standing right on the court! You could hear whatever they said to you!" Becker said. "But there were only 200 people, maybe; 20,000 is a little different."