EUROCARD OPEN

October 27, 1999

Andre Agassi

ANDRE AGASSI: Well, I mean, I certainly can't complain. It seems like every match in a tournament like this is very intense right from the first round. Mark's a dangerous player who I had to be sharp. I was seeing the ball well and moving well. I was taking care of my serve. I felt really good.

ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, it feels pretty long. You know, I mean, what's there to be tired about really? As far as I'm concerned, it's been an incredible year. It's given me a lot of motivation to keep trying to get better. I feel pretty good. It's never easy this time of year, but I feel real good.

ANDRE AGASSI: Assuming you win, it's always good. If you lose, then you wish that you never saw him (laughter). I feel good that I'm hitting the ball clean and that I'm on to the next one.

ANDRE AGASSI: Oh, yeah. I have a much greater appreciation for many things now. Different cultures, environments, experiences are certainly one of a few of many things that I'm enjoying. This is big-time tennis. To be quite honest, it doesn't really matter where we are when you have these kinds of players here.

ANDRE AGASSI: I mean, so much is left to be decided. It's tough to have too much of a feel for it. But for me, these two tournaments are important, as for many players. You know, I want to play a real good indoor season. I haven't had that in a few years. I think Hannover will be a good opportunity to end the year with a lot of confidence.

ANDRE AGASSI: I mean, it's just a great tragedy. I mean, we all fear , we all fear that our moments here are our last ones. Just to be doing something as normal as traveling from one place to another is a terrible, terrible thing to happen. Prayers are with his family.

ANDRE AGASSI: No.

ANDRE AGASSI: Well, I think that it certainly makes you aware of how fragile life can be. It's a very personal way that the tragedy happened. That someone who travels as much as we do, you can certainly identify with the fear of it, you know. But, you know, it's like, God rest his soul, Vitas. All he was doing was going to sleep. To go that way just doesn't seem right.

ANDRE AGASSI: I don't understand.

ANDRE AGASSI: Well, I mean, yeah. I don't know if it will be normal ever (laughter). But I think it's probably a little bit less. I don't know. I try not to think about it too much.

ANDRE AGASSI: No, no. It's a great feeling for me to play these years of my career with the kind of feeling I'm having. I've worked hard to get here.

ANDRE AGASSI: Well, just that I'm embracing the competition of it, pushing myself to get better, having the experience to realize that it's really not all that important in the scope of things.

ANDRE AGASSI: Harder than Brad's (laughter). I assure you, it's bigger than Brad's.

ANDRE AGASSI: No, no. Got to separate business and pleasure, you know (laughter).

ANDRE AGASSI: First of all, what does "character" mean? Because you just called me a character. Secondly, are you comparing me to Marcelo Rios (laughter)? You answer one, and I'll finish answering it. I think the most important thing for sports are rivalries; people that bring out the best in each other that the public knows and are very familiar with. Second to that are personalities that bring people into the sport. What kind of personalities do that, your opinion is as good as mine. But, yeah, that is important to have interest brought by other players.

ANDRE AGASSI: I have not, outside of what we've heard in the news, which is he's expected to play next week.

ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, I would have to say just the pleasure of playing, no question, is my greatest motivation. Goals, you know, are different. I enjoy playing. Regardless of where my level is, as long as I feel like I can get better tomorrow, I'm inspired to try to do that. But winning the big ones, you know, there's no feeling like it. Winning one twice was something I had never done. It felt incredible in its own way. I'm looking forward to getting to know what it feels like to win more.