Columnist Steve Carp: Tennis can use a boost from Agassi

Steve Carp

Tuesday, Aug. 4, 1998 | 9:48 a.m.

HE WILL PROBABLY go to his grave telling everyone that tennis has always been of the utmost importance to him. But Andre Agassi knows better.

He knows that hasn't always been the case. Even though he's still just 28, the Las Vegan has had enough distractions, enough injuries, enough ups and downs throughout his career, that his game has been forced to the back burner from time to time.

But Agassi has proven to be a resilient fellow. Witness his latest surge in the ATP computer rankings after winning back-to-back tournaments in Washington D.C. and Los Angeles. You may recall he was ranked No. 141 when he played a tour satellite event at UNLV last November. Today, he is knocking on the penthouse door at No. 11. And by the time the U.S. Open gets under way at the end of the month in New York, Agassi may very well be a top-10 player.

He apparently is pain-free. Those nagging wrist and leg injuries and muscle pulls in his chest have taken a hiatus for now. His confidence is on the rise. Life at home with actress Brooke Shields must be going well.

Put it all together and you have the ingredients for success.

If you're a tennis fan, it couldn't come at a better time.

While the women's pro tour has developed into a series of rivalries that are just a notch below worthy of airing on Jerry Springer, the ATP tour has no rivalries to speak of.

Yes, there are some talented players. There always will be. But the sporting public doesn't identify with Carlos Moya or Marcelo Rios. Be grateful they know who Pete Sampras is.

But Agassi's name transcends the sport. The game needs him to be playing well. He creates energy when he's on and men's tennis can certainly use a power boost.

It would be easy to classify Agassi's latest run of good fortune as a renaissance. But this is an opportunity for him to get it all back and reclaim a piece of property in tennis' high-rent district.

From the looks of things, he's taking advantage of that opportunity.

Maybe it's because that immense wealth of natural talent hasn't been totally withdrawn from the bank just yet. Perhaps the fact that he's injury-free has him believing he still can hang with the best, because he can play the way he knows how.

Or maybe Agassi realizes you get only so many chances to establish your legacy, and he knows he's not getting any younger in what remains a young man's game.

At 28, he's not washed up. John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors still were effective players in their 30s. But the clock is ticking and Agassi hears it. So why not go for it while you still can?

Granted, winning two tournaments doesn't automatically return you to the throne. Agassi still has a lot of work ahead if he intends to get back to the top. But he's certainly on the right road. If he stays healthy, if the fires inside keep burning, if the confidence doesn't hit a pothole, who knows what can happen?

New York may have something else to get excited about next month besides the Yankees and the start of the football season.