AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 28, 2001

Andre Agassi

MODERATOR: Questions for Andre.

ANDRE AGASSI: Tournament or a Grand Slam?

ANDRE AGASSI: That's true. I was hoping I would, but I guess you can never be too sure. You know, it's been 12 months since I've won. But I picked one heck of a spot to do it again.

ANDRE AGASSI: You know, I was thinking coming into this event that it's one of the first times being a defending champion feels less about pressure and more about knowing that you can play well here. I came into this week, this tournament, feeling like my game was very solid, I was in good position physically, then it did get better by each day. Winning it felt special. Defending it again didn't really occur to me till now. That certainly is a good feeling, as well.

ANDRE AGASSI: No, I don't think that's fair to say. I think they're two separate things. I think as far as courage and determination goes, I think my sister and mom have more of it than I do. You know, you've got to focus on one part of your life at a time. Being down here was about the tennis. That's what my mind was on.

ANDRE AGASSI: Easier?

ANDRE AGASSI: Well, I can say that I don't self inflict and throw curves at myself as much anymore. I don't make it tougher on myself. To say it was easy would be misleading.

ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah. I'm certainly experienced at what keeps me at my best and what puts me in position to be at my best for the biggest matches, and that's clearer now than it's ever been. I think when you've been through it a number of times and you've had your share of successes and defeats, you kind of know where to file it all a little bit easier. And I think the end result is a lot easier to accept. I feel, win or lose, that ultimately my goal is to be proud of myself out there in how I competed and how I conducted myself. That part is a lot clearer to me than it's ever been.

ANDRE AGASSI: I never really enjoy that time leading up to the final in a match like this, because really all you want to do is just get out there and tee them up. When you're in a position where you've been there so many times, you know what to expect. I have a lot of appreciation for how dangerous a player of Arnaud's speed and capabilities can be. Having the two days off, you know, I felt edgy and anxious, wanting to get out there. That part I think is a lot more difficult than, say, if I was playing Pete or Rafter or somebody of that nature because, really, you're just a lot more relaxed when you play guys like that because you know you're going to have to be at your best. There's really just no two ways about it. So I was really anxious to get out there. But once you get out there, there are a number of times it occurs to you that you're glad it's not Pete, you know, Rafter. You feel like you have the edge in certain respects with experience. And I had to deal with the game today. You know, I had to answer his weapons and establish mine. I felt like I did that pretty effectively.

ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, I think so. I hope so. I mean, that's my goal. That's what I want to do.

ANDRE AGASSI: Well, I mean, I can always move better, I can always be more aggressive, more consistently. You know, I mean, if you can hit one pace ball and not miss, then maybe you can pick up the pace and get to the point where you even hit it bigger, not missing. You're always striving for that perfect, perfect game.

ANDRE AGASSI: Well, I think the year-round nature of our sport and the individual nature of our sport takes its toll on each person in a very aggressive way. And if you don't know how to cut yourself those areas of slack where your body needs it or maybe your mind needs it, I think the toll can get overwhelming in your late 20s. But for me, I think it's always come pretty natural for me not to make tennis my entire life, and I've taken time to kind of get away from it, so it's kept my mind and my body probably a lot fresher than where I would be at 30 if it had been week in, week out, year after year.

ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah. I think you can always second-guess what you're doing and why you're doing it. But I've definitely come to not regret those times. I think they've played a big part in my ability just to now be healthy and to be determined, and I feel that sense of hunger.

ANDRE AGASSI: I think it's a difference between being 30 and being 18. I mean, you're dealing with a very young sport. It's a huge sport, it's a huge business, huge opportunities, huge accomplishments. You see kids, you know, fighting to accomplish certain things. It's easy to understand the pressures and the miscalculations of how it all plays out at the end. But I've lived through that. I've been through it. At this point, I can't say I ever had the perspective in the beginning as if I had some kind of foresight. I think I just -- just my heart never allowed me to be consumed by it. But now I use that as an asset, as a tool.

ANDRE AGASSI: I enjoy tennis. I enjoy how it's played, how people play it. I feel like you can learn from everybody. Sometimes you can learn from the way somebody is on the court and what it is they do, and you can learn that that's what it is you want to be, what it is you want to do. Other times you see what somebody does, how somebody plays, and you realize, "I can get better by knowing that's not what I want to be and that's not what I want to do." You can strive to be something or you can strive to not be something. Either way, I feel like you're learning and you're making progress in your game. You know, I enjoy watching the women's game. I enjoy seeing how it plays out. You know, I don't many times have a choice - I'm waiting to play after them. You know, it is tennis, something to be aware of.

ANDRE AGASSI: I just asked him how he felt, you know, being in his first final, physically after his great match, and gave him some credit for the incredible match he played the other night, the other day. I just made mention how much they're going to appreciate him when we get to Paris, back there in France.

ANDRE AGASSI: You know, I would be probably more shocked than anybody if I played longer than a few more years. I would be shocked. I mean, how can you really speak for what you're going to do or not do? I have no intentions of playing as long as he did.

ANDRE AGASSI: Arnaud is a talented player, and he has a game that's strengths are ones that players don't see too often. I mean, he's small and he's probably the fastest player on the tour, and he can really hurt you with his speed. There's a lot of guys that are bigger and more powerful. You don't play against a player like him very often. When you do, there's a whole different rhythm to the match. That's working for him. He's always going to have to work hard to win. That's where the heart comes in. He's proven to be a great fighter, certainly down here. How long a player like him can keep up that standard is a question that only time can answer. But as long as he has the passion and the heart, and he's willing to work like he has, I think he can continually be a threat to all the players.

ANDRE AGASSI: I feel better because I'm going home instead of Zimbabwe. This is a great stepping stone. I mean, this is what you play for. This is what it's all about. Last year, at the end of last year, when I played in The Championships, Lisbon, I was thinking about being down here. It doesn't always work out like you plan. When it does, you really feel proud about the work you put in. So this has been a great stepping stone for me. I think I'll be a little smarter this year. I think I haven't had as much tennis as I did after this tournament last year. I felt very tired and physically struggling. This year I don't. I think if I really played my cards right, this can be the start of an incredible year.

ANDRE AGASSI: I guess you think about it when it's over, you know. Stats don't lie. You know, records don't lie. Either you do it or you don't. No sense in spending much time thinking about it before you step on the court. I mean, it's a wonderful feeling to be the champion here three times. Things like that really impact you. But somehow they don't play a part when you're stepping out there to play. Arnaud today, I had to take care of business. In some respects, it makes you feel very proud, but in other ways, it's quite irrelevant.

ANDRE AGASSI: No, definitely not. At that stage, it's been much -- that stage is much more reflective of how it is I function as a person. It wasn't about winning; it was about getting better. It was a process. That process is something that I really enjoy. I enjoyed it every bit as much then as I do now. I couldn't even tell you if I felt like I had any more Slams in me now. I have no idea. I mean, that's really the way I approach it. I feel like you have to be good to win, you have to be lucky to win, and things have to fall right for you. But that process that happens day in and day out, asking yourself to get better as a player, is a process that I enjoy on the court and off the court. I think that time playing the challengers really, if anything, just speaks volumes for how important that process is in my life.

ANDRE AGASSI: You want to achieve more. I mean, how can you not want to win? It's hard not to want to win, especially if you can.

ANDRE AGASSI: Well, I enjoy a lot about it. I mean, you know, a man needs to work. If I do this well, I might as well work here, you know. It's important to me just to pay a price, you know, to assess how your day was at the end of it. I can't think of a better way to do it than playing the game of tennis.

ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah. My father was very crucial to my success. I mean, he has a passion for the game that is more now than when I was a little boy. I mean, he plays every day. He's either working on the court, working on the ball machines, playing with his friends, teaching kids or giving me an earful about how I can be better, which is great to see his passion for the game. I do believe as tough as the sport of tennis is, in order to succeed, you have to start early. If you have to start early, there's a heck of a chance one of the parents are supporting or nurturing you in your direction. So that is important. I think a parent plays an important role in many ways. I don't necessarily feel like they have to be consumed with it or make it the end-all. I think it could be a very positive experience. But I think you always risk those lines getting crossed when it starts so young and it becomes so important.

ANDRE AGASSI: Long time and well overdue. I thought of her game a long time ago, when I saw her hit the ball, that she can strike the ball with the best of them off both sides. I hope she uses this as a stepping stone to stay fit, to stay strong, and to really believe in what she's capable of doing. It's going to be hard for her not to believe what she's capable of doing with what she's been through. I think that is also a testament to her spirit. I think it's a lesson for all of us to learn from. It was story book and it was a beautiful thing for the game of tennis and a beautiful thing for anybody that knows her story to sit back and watch it unfold. She's a great champion, and more than just what she did on the court.

ANDRE AGASSI: On the court?

ANDRE AGASSI: Hopefully there won't be a marking point where once the racquets are away, that that's when -- hopefully what I want to be remembered for will continue. I mean, I just think ultimately making a difference in people's lives is what I cherish the most, you know, from an individual level to a broader base. However that changes, I hope I never lose the desire or passion for that.

ANDRE AGASSI: That's a tough one to answer. I feel like you relive it every time you share it with somebody close to you, you know. It would be hard-pressed not to say the first moment, you know, when you hit the winning shot because that's it right there. But that has a strong ripple effect, you know, that you get to experience a lot of joys from that one success. I would say the greatest feeling is certainly right afterwards, but somehow the ripples just keep going. It's not like they ever go away. You know, it's history. That part you can always call on and feel great about.

ANDRE AGASSI: I think the more experience you get, the more you allow yourself to enjoy it. I got a hunch I'm going to enjoy this for a few weeks (smiling).

ANDRE AGASSI: I think to myself, "This must look a lot easier than it feels." It's a crazy thought. It's been a year since I've won. I'll do my best not to make it another year till I win again. But who's to say?

ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah. I'm nitpicking a little bit out there. Depending on what kind of serve you plan on hitting, to me, I tend to pick certain balls. Some balls are heavier than other balls, they've been used more, they're going to travel slower. If I'm going to hit a kick serve with the wind, I'm going to go with a heavier ball because I'm going to force them to generate pace with a little bit heavier of a ball. If I'm going to hit a slice up the middle that I want to get away from them, I'm going to go with a thinner one that's going to travel through the air a little bit quicker. But that's all probably just to make myself feel better. I'm not quite sure it really manifests itself in a great advantage.

ANDRE AGASSI: Because I know people like you will only write that (laughter).