Monday, Aug. 25, 1997 | 10:27 a.m.
MAYBE HE CAN feed off the energy. Perhaps the juices will start flowing once he hears the teenage girls scream his name. Hopefully, his personal pride will get the best of him.
The U.S. Open kicks off today and it's time for Andre Agassi to decide whether or not he wants to remain a world-class tennis player.
At age 27, it's not too late for the Las Vegan to put it all together and regain the keys to the game's penthouse. Not that he's homeless, mind you, as far as tennis is concerned. His game hasn't been relegated to sleeping under a freeway overpass.
Not yet. But he's clearly not a Scotch 80s, Spanish Trail or Lake Las Vegas resident, either. He's like a guy renting in Green Valley after being booted from his luxury home in the neighborhood.
He's currently ranked No. 59 in the world and he is not among the top 16 seeds at Flushing Meadows. And that may be a good omen. You may recall that back in 1994, Agassi wasn't seeded and he shocked everyone by winning the Open.
We'll find out very early whether or not Agassi is still serious about tennis. His first match will be played either Tuesday or Wednesday against Steve Campbell, a guy he normally should beat in straight sets.
But little has been normal for Agassi on the court. The lingering wrist injury has festered for so long, it seemingly has become part of Agassi's legacy. If he's going to regain his spot at the top, he has to deal with it one way or the other. It'll either put him out of commission once and for all or he's going to say "to heck with it" and play through the pain.
Of course, the fact that he's married to a rich, attractive actress may be another hurdle he has to overcome in his attempt to return to the top. Between what he makes in endorsements and appearance fees and what Brooke Shields brings in, they could be king and queen of a dozen Third World countries. Who needs to win tournaments to pay the bills?
But money has never been a motivation for Agassi to be a great tennis player. Not when he has had a multimillion-dollar deal with Nike since he was a teenager.
Only Agassi knows if he's willing to accept being complacent and living with that tag. The guess here is he isn't. If he was satisfied, he would have quit by now and settled in with Brooke for the duration.
So it really comes down to pride and re-energizing himself and his game. And there's no place better for him to start than in New York. At the spanking new 22,547-seat Arthur Ashe Stadium. With the airplanes and the crowds buzzing.
Agassi has always loved playing in New York. The rock 'n' roll atmosphere is perfect for him. He feeds off the crowd and it, in turn, feeds off him.
He also has had success in the Big Apple. Along with his win in '94, he was a finalist in '91 and '95. The hard courts always have agreed with him.
Perhaps he can make a withdrawal from the memory bank and invest it in a big-time venture -- a comeback befitting a former champion. That is, if he's still serious about being the best.
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