[戰報] A healthy Agassi likely to be here

看板Agassi作者 (Soma)時間20年前 (2005/07/13 01:44), 編輯推噓0(000)
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Tuesday, July 12, 2005 A healthy Agassi likely to be here By Dustin Dow Enquirer staff writer MASON - Perhaps this year will be Andre Agassi's final appearance in Cincinnati. Or maybe not. With tennis' seemingly ageless crowd favorite, it's becoming hard to tell when he's going to stop playing. If everything goes according to plan, though, Agassi, 35, will still be slapping backhands and returning serves in the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters Aug. 15-21 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. The event's television ad appearing locally and regionally was deliberately queued up Monday for the announcement of the first 51 players to fill out the 64-player field because the commercial features clips of Agassi and world No. 1 player Roger Federer each saying "I'll see you in Cincinnati." That Agassi agreed to film the commercial and make that statement was enough of an indication to W&S Masters director Bruce Flory that the most marketable and popular men's tennis player in the country would be playing in Cincinnati as long as he's healthy. Agassi was announced as a player expected to play along with notables Federer, Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt, Rafael Nadal and Marat Safin. "My take on him is he definitely plans on playing," Flory said. "I know it's on his schedule to play here, but obviously with all the top players, he's the highest risk as far as having an injury. If he's healthy, we have no indication he wouldn't be here. He won last year, it makes sense for him to be here. "I'd be very surprised if he was healthy and not here." Ranked No. 6 in the world, Agassi receives an automatic entry into the W&S Masters, as do all of the top 51 players. But with a body that has been showing its physical limits, Agassi has not been shy about pulling out of tournaments that aren't in the best interest of his health. Two years ago, he withdrew from the W&S Masters just days before the event started but returned last season to claim the tournament championship, ending a title drought of 15 months. It was on the eve of his first match in the W&S Masters last year that Agassi openly questioned how much longer he would play professional tennis. Going on to win the tournament lifted his spirits and his game and provided him the momentum to finish the season well and continue into this year. But he hasn't won a tournament since. He pulled out of Wimbledon in June with an injury, and expects to play in the RCA Championships in Indianapolis next week, his first tournament since losing in the first round of the French Open in late May. Barring another injury flare up, he will be back in Cincinnati in August where his presence is important to the tournament organizers, who realize that as long as Agassi is still playing, he's going to be the top draw. "He's so popular, fans want to see him play," Flory said. "Obviously, it has monetary value. More people are going to buy tickets. It helps TV ratings when he plays. There's a ton of reasons, but at the core, we don't like seeing our fans disappointed. And if he dropped out, fans would be disappointed. "There's a sense of urgency with him too because you never know when his last match is going to happen. Most of the other guys, you know there will be another year. Who knows if (Agassi) has any more years?" The field will include 51 players directly chosen (below), four wild cards, eight qualifiers and one special exemption entry. -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 203.203.34.44
文章代碼(AID): #12r063jw (Agassi)
文章代碼(AID): #12r063jw (Agassi)