U.S. OPEN

September 2, 1996

Andre Agassi

ANDRE AGASSI: It's tough to say. I mean, I think everything's getting better year by year. This summer's been, you know, a nice turnaround for me, so I feel pretty confident. I have to say a few percentage better, but it's tough to say, I think everybody is.

ANDRE AGASSI: I mean, just a lot of perseverance really. It was not one thing in particular. I spent the first part of the year really trying to get my game together. I felt like I did at Key Biscayne. Then I got through a few rough matches there, 7-6 in the third. Then I had to go over to the clay. I just didn't have the confidence to sustain any kind of level of play. Had short runs, you know. I never got my rhythm. I lost early in the French. Wasn't enough tennis before Wimbledon. I had a rough loss at Wimbledon, didn't get through that. You get through some of those tough matches, things could turn around sooner, but I didn't. After France, I just committed to working hard. Then I was back on the hardcourts, which was nice for my confidence level. Took another hard loss in Washington and then my game came together after a few, you know, close matches that I got through.

ANDRE AGASSI: I don't think that's so much it, that there's other things I'd rather be involved in or I had my mind on other things. I think it's just very tough year after year, week after week. There is no off-season. Not like you ever feel like you ever get rewarded for performing well. You feel like you perform well, now you have to go out there, live up to that standard, do it again. Now the stakes are higher, a bigger price tag on your head for the guys that meet you. It's never ending. I just wish there were some kind of off-season, then it would be a lot easier to commit yourself for a period of time.

ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, I mean you can't really do it. If other guys are playing and you're not, they're making steps and you're not. It's not easy that way. Plus if you take time off and you want to practice, you know, guys are playing, it's tough to find the guys to play with, practice with.

ANDRE AGASSI: I think the match itself is going to be close and difficult, but Philippoussis is young, so if he happens to beat Sampras, I think it would be tougher for him to reach the finals than if Pete beat him, because Pete's done it so many times. It's tough to say. It's hard to pick. I think they both have split in the Grand Slams this year. A year ago it was a close four sets. Philippoussis is a year older now, more experienced. It's still tough. I have to give the ever-so-slightly edge to Pete. You never know. Guys that hit the ball that big, if they're on that day, it's going to be tough.

ANDRE AGASSI: One thing to say the score was easy, but I didn't feel it was an easy match. He hits the ball rough off both sides. I have to work hard to beat him. You know, it's going to be a good match. We've always had good matches. It's going to be, you know, big tennis. I hope that I can come out on top again.

ANDRE AGASSI: I don't think really a lot's changed outside the fact when he accomplish what he did to get to No. 1 in the world, I think there were some misinterpretations from the media in reference to my appreciation for that achievement. I've always stated that he deserves it for working so hard and accomplishing it, because it's not easy. But they always would follow it up with what I think of the ranking system. My comment was, I've always complained about the ranking system. I think they took that and somehow I was saying Thomas doesn't deserve it because of the ranking system. That's difficult. The guy worked hard for something he finally accomplished, and he probably felt like I was dissin' him on it, and I wasn't. I think that had a very negative effect.

ANDRE AGASSI: I think if anyone makes this more than a tennis match, it's their own issue. Come on, we're in the quarterfinals of the US Open. We both have won big events before. We both want to do it again. That's what we're both going out there and trying to do. To make it anything more than that is a waste of time.

ANDRE AGASSI: Do I agree with you?

ANDRE AGASSI: I think he punches in the clock every time he steps on the court. I mean, every time he gets out there, he busts his ass to win. I don't expect him to do anything less.

ANDRE AGASSI: I wasn't confused by it really. I mean, I just knew it would take some work and some time on the court and some matches. There's all those intangibles that makes somebody able to pull out a match. I can hit the ball great in practice, but just get your ass kicked left and right. There's intangibles that separate this game. You need to have them. It requires matches. It requires getting through the close ones so you can start getting the confidence for when to step it up and how to step it up, how to believe in your shots at the right time.

ANDRE AGASSI: You know, I think out of respect for Chelsea and really the nature of both our lives.

ANDRE AGASSI: We were very nice to each other.

ANDRE AGASSI: Big tennis when you get two guys trying to establish their will out there on the court. We both are going to be beating the ball pretty good from the baseline. You'll hear explosions off the racquet four, five, six times a point. That's big tennis.

ANDRE AGASSI: Thank you for that question. I felt like really it got started -- I got started off well. I had a Love-40 game where I didn't convert, missed a forehand long, Love-40, then a big ace up the middle. He had a good serve, got it low. He made a good forehand volley, cross-court pass that he got his racquet on. He held the game there, doubled at Love-30. Then he cold cocked a winner to break me. All of a sudden he got the break. I felt like he played a pretty good game to break me. I just didn't break his serve, that was all there was to it. Then I just kind of stayed on it. He got a bad call there, potentially. He thought it was. It was close, a huge serve up the middle, deuce point second game of the second set. They called it wide. He double-faulted, double-faulted for the game. That kind of turned things around a little bit there.

ANDRE AGASSI: I felt like I served well. I felt like I moved pretty well, worked the point. I did what I needed to do. Some players, you can't just come at them. David Wheaton is the kind of guy if you give him the pace constantly, he can hurt you. I mix it up well. Pleased with the way I played.

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