The Mercedes-Benz Cup unfolded just the way it was supposed
to.
Andre Agassi, returning from an injury to his sciatic nerve
after an eight-week holdover, was able to rise to the occasion and
give the Southern California tennis fans exactly what they wanted:
an Agassi tournament victory.
Indeed, the wild cheers from the grandstands of the Los Angeles
Tennis Center confirmed that Agassi was the fan favorite throughout
the week and that his win would only help the landscape of this
year’s U.S. Open Series, which kicked off this week in
Westwood.
Agassi’s 60th career ATP title was a major boost to the
Mercedes-Benz Cup, especially considering the late lineup
alterations after Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Roddick dropped out of
the event.
“We knew at the start of the week that Andre was going to
have to carry a bulk of the weight because most of our fans’
attention would be on him,” tournament director Bob Kramer
said. “His success was a huge lift for the tournament and
it’s not surprising when considering his track
record.”
Even Agassi, who throughout the week downplayed his strong
presence at the Mercedes-Benz Cup to focus on a successful return
to the court, conceded that he was a pivotal figure for
marketability of the tournament.
And he noticed just how much the fans genuinely appreciate the
quality of American tennis.
“Just looking at the attendance showed how much the fans
still love this tournament and know what tennis is all
about,” Agassi said.
However, Agassi’s continued success poses a looming
question for the American tennis community.
At the age of 35 and coming off a serious injury, Agassi is
still able to dominate an ATP event as the main fan attraction. But
with his future atop the tennis world uncertain, it is unclear who
will fill his place upon his exit from center stage.
“American tennis faces the same situation it has for the
past few years,” said Brad Gilbert, ESPN tennis analyst.
“There is an abundance of secondary players in the states,
but not as many star talents. Once Andre stops playing, which is
probably sooner rather than later, there will need to be another
American player that steps up.”
Roddick, the 22-year-old star with small-town roots in Omaha,
Neb., appears to have shared the spotlight with Agassi as the
biggest name in tennis on American soil. However, he might just be
a big fish in a little pond.
“It will be (Roger) Federer dominating with Roddick as the
favorite on the hard courts,” Gilbert said. “But it
would be nice if there could be more American players really draw
attention to themselves, because tennis is always more popular with
dominant countrymen creating a buzz.”
But there doesn’t seem to be too many potential stars
emerging from the American gene pool in the near future.
“Looking at the junior levels, it does not look likely for
any stars to be coming out of American right now,” Gilbert
said. “But you never know.”
The 2005 Mercedes-Benz Cup was a booming success in terms of
high attendance numbers that attests to the strong support for
men’s tennis in Southern California. Nevertheless,
Agassi’s victory is just another reminder that there is going
to be a huge void to fill once he decides to retire.
“Honestly, it’s not something to get too worried
about,” Kramer said.
“Andre’s success at this tournament proves that he
has plenty of tennis left in him. And there will always be a new
group of talent to emerge once he leaves. We just don’t know
who it will be.”