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Stiff Agassi counts cost
01/09/2006 13:00 - (SA)
New York - Andre Agassi was left counting the physical cost of his brutal five sets win over Marcos Baghdatis in the second round of the US Open late on Thursday.
The 36-year-old American, playing in the final tournament of his 20-year long career, had needed cortisone pain-killing injections after his first game just to be able to take to the court against the rising Cypriot, a player 15 years his junior.
He let slip a two sets to love lead and was a break down in the fifth but dug deep to win 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 7-5 in a punishing 3hrs 48mins cliff-hanger.
Minutes later he walked stiffly into the post-match press conference and gingerly sat down.
"The cool-down is the worst part of it. I just don't know what to expect anymore. It's not getting any easier," he lamented.
But Agassi said that he had no regrets over his decision to give it one more bash at this year's US Open once he had announced in July that he was retiring.
"Is it worth it? Yes," he said. "This is it for me. Where am I going from here?
"It's never been easy. It's difficult now for so many reasons, but it's also inspiring for so many reasons.
"I'm here now just taking it all in and that is very special to me and makes it all worth it.
"I haven't played like this in a year and for it to happen here is just great."
Agassi has two days to recover physically before he takes on Benjamin Becker, a 25-year-old German who shares a surname with his famous compatriot Boris but little else.
Ranked 112nd in the world, Becker has not won a single ATP title and is playing in only his second Grand Slam tournament.
He made it through to the third round with a shock straight sets win over 30th seeded Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean.
Agassi said he would try to get a good night's sleep and work hard to get his ailing back and tired muscles fit enough to tackle the German.
"I'll exhaust all possibilities short of taking too many risks with my long term health," he said. "I don't want to compromise the rest of my life."
The American also paid a warm tribute to Baghdatis who was felled by leg cramps at a crucial late stage of the fifth and deciding set.
"It's a guy like that that makes it easier to walk away from the game. It's comforting to see how good a hands it is in. He has a lot of charisma and style and talent."
- AFP
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