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TELECOM MASTERS ITALIA


May 7, 2005


Andre Agassi


ROME, ITALY

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Andre, you seemed a little disgruntled at the end. Did you feel that was a match you should have won?

ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, I felt like it slipped away. I mean, certainly it could have been a lot tougher. Making it a set all changes a lot so... But, yeah, so it was disappointing.

Q. You almost had the same support today as Panatta here many years ago. Do you think you should have attacked a little more, hitting more volleys? So many times you gave him time to recover until you put him back.

ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, I suppose there were occasions where I could have done that, you know. He defends very well when you come in because he gets the ball down, you know, and then you're in all sorts of trouble. I came in six different times - maybe even more - and I was playing volleys at my feet mostly, or the lob was going over my head. I could have been more aggressive for sure, but you're trying to walk a fine line between aggressive but not taking too many risks because this is something that a player like him counts on.

Q. Can you comment on the crowd, too.

ANDRE AGASSI: It was a great atmosphere out there. Certainly I enjoyed it very much.

Q. You did better than 60 other guys. Did you get what you came for in this tournament? I know you wanted the title, but overall...

ANDRE AGASSI: Well, I think it certainly was a good few steps forward for me being here, playing the way I did this week. Yeah, it was a lot of matches for me, and that's crucial. Somehow right now it doesn't negate the disappointment, but it's been a great week.

Q. Paris lies in the future. What's next, though?

ANDRE AGASSI: Hamburg. So head up there to the nice weather and (smiling)...

Q. Anything between that and Paris?

ANDRE AGASSI: No.

Q. You go home or stay here?

ANDRE AGASSI: No, no, I stay.

Q. How many times does it happen to you that you feel that this could be the last time that you play a tournament so well? You have this thing in your head, or not at all?

ANDRE AGASSI: Well, at the end you think about it, you know. You think about it all the time, really. I mean, I'd say about 14 times a year for the last, you know, three or four years. That's a lot of times.

Q. In your six years with Steffi, have you learned to love Germany or has your relationship with Germany improved, and do you look forward to playing somewhere like Hamburg?

ANDRE AGASSI: Well, yeah, I've always looked forward to spending time there whenever I get a chance. It's never been ideal when it comes to the tennis for how I've chosen to prepare, which has been unfortunate. But I've always enjoyed it there, and certainly more now than ever.

Q. Learn any German?

ANDRE AGASSI: I understand some random words and, you know, my son interprets for me whenever I get a little curious about my wife's conversations (smiling).

Q. Coria announced the ball out. Any comment on that? You looked quite annoyed.

ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, well, he shook his finger before it bounced, first of all. Then he circles it as if it was obviously out and starts walking back as if it was obviously out. I understand making a mistake, but I don't understand suggesting that when it's that close, that it's clearly out. It was an unreasonable response and one I didn't appreciate at all. If you're not sure, that's what the umpire's there for. It's better to be not sure - that's okay, we can live with that. But to act like it's sure when it's obviously very close is unacceptable behavior.

Q. Are you angry with him, or everything end on the court?

ANDRE AGASSI: That behavior. I said that behavior is unacceptable: Just to call it with your finger before it bounced, to circle it and to walk away as if it's for sure when it obviously isn't that for sure. I'm disappointed in that behavior.

Q. After that, you gave back a point. Was a lesson to him?

ANDRE AGASSI: No. I mean, my issue most of the time is finding the mark. I struggle with this anyhow. Then if I find the mark, most of the time I'm unsure about it because if it's close, I don't know. So I always prefer somebody else making that decision. But if it's clear, I mean... The ball that he hit was coming off the line and there was no other marks around, so this one was pretty easy to see.

Q. In Rome they say even if you are not the No. 1 in the rankings, you are the No. 1 in the sale of tickets. Are you happy about that?

ANDRE AGASSI: (Laughing). Well, I tell you, it's been a great feeling for me to be on the court and to see the seats full and people so enthusiastic about the sport. Incredible moments for me to be fighting battles against these guys in this environment. If I can still walk a year from now, I'm going to try to come back (smiling).

Q. How will you compare the conditions of play here and in Paris?

ANDRE AGASSI: So much is determined by the weather, you know? If it's sunny and hot, I think it's closer here than Hamburg. But if Paris is raining and heavy, it can be closer to Hamburg, you know. So most of the time I think this is the closest you get, but nothing's for sure.

Q. Will you be playing a warm-up tournament before Wimbledon, or would you like to go straight into Wimbledon without any grass?

ANDRE AGASSI: Not 100% sure, but my thoughts this year is to do it differently and just practice and go in and play. I've contended for a lot of years that the longer you play on grass, the worse your game gets. There's a lot to be said for just excitement of being on it, so I might give that a try this year. But it's not for sure yet.

Q. Nadal was excited to play against you. Do you remember in the mid '80s when you played for the first time the stars?

ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, sure.

Q. When was it?

ANDRE AGASSI: '86, I played John McEnroe, quarterfinals of Stratton Mountain in Vermont. Yeah, I would like to play Nadal as well; he's fun to watch.

End of FastScripts….

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