The icing was the cake itself.
After becoming only the sixth player in the Open Era to reach
800 wins, Andre Agassi received a standing ovation from the crowd
at the Los Angeles Tennis Center and a chocolate cake from
Mercedes-Benz Cup tournament officials.
Win No. 800, a first-round 6-3, 6-1 trouncing of Alex Bogomolov
Jr. was like so many of Agassi’s other victories. He applied the
pressure early and often, and in relentless fashion, overmatched
Bogomolov in every facet of the game.
"It’s hard to adjust playing against him," Bogomolov said. "I
couldn’t really attack him. He was always putting me out of the
court."
The easy victory answered many questions that surrounded Agassi
heading into the tournament. After skipping Wimbledon because of a
hip injury, Agassi returned to the court for his first tournament
match in over a month.
"I thought I’d be a little more tentative," Agassi said. "But I
was pleased with the way it went. I had a good chance to dictate
play and felt good out there."
But Agassi was quick to point out that his injury was not
completely behind him. With the prospect of facing stiffer
competition as he moves into the later rounds, Agassi will
undoubtedly be given concrete answers as to how his 34-year-old
body is holding up . He will face Frenchman Julien Benneteau in the
second round on Thursday. Benneteau knocked off Mark Phillippousis
6-1, 7-5 earlier in the day.
Tournament officials would certainly like to see Agassi in the
draw as long as possible. With many of the marquee players
withdrawing due to injuries prior to the tournament, Agassi is the
only player ranked in the top ten in the tournament field. He’s
also the overwhelming fan favorite.
While a straight set victory in the first round over the No. 115
player in the world usually doesn’t raise any eyebrows, the crowd
would not let Agassi’s accomplishment go unnoticed. Agassi joined
Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, Guillermo Vilas, John McEnroe and Stefan
Edberg as the only players to reach 800 career wins.
"It’s quite a group of guys to be in there with," Agassi said.
"But I really don’t think about it too much. No. 799 feels like No.
801."
Nevertheless, there are certain wins that do stand out in
Agassi’s mind. During the press conference after the match, Agassi
rattled off the opponents and exact scores during the qualifying
rounds leading up to his first ATP victory almost twenty years ago.
His mental acuity has been a fine complement to his physical
tenacity. Since his first win at La Quinta when he was just 15
years old, he has won 58 singles titles, 8 grand slams and an
Olympic gold medal.
The accolades reflect how he has dedicated his life to the
sport, one which he sees as so reflective of life itself.
"The greatest thing about tennis is that it parallels life,"
Agassi said. "There’s a lot of problems to solve and you only have
yourself to turn to. You learn how to rise above the
circumstances."
His hip injury is only the latest of these circumstances. But
for the remainder of this tournament, he is the problem that other
players must rise above and figure out how to solve.