Back strain forces Agassi to withdraw

Victoria Sun

Tuesday, July 25, 2000 | 9:41 a.m.

LOS ANGELES -- Andre Agassi says he feels as if "somebody kicks you in the back."

Agassi's neighbor and friend accidentally rear-ended the Las Vegas tennis star in an automobile accident when he was on his way home from the airport July 8, causing Agassi pain and stiffness in his back.

Because of this, Agassi became the eighth and latest player to pull out of the Mercedes-Benz Cup that started Monday at the Los Angeles Tennis Center at UCLA.

"It's disappointing because I always felt this has been the platform to get my hardcourt game going," Agassi, the event's top-seeded player, said Monday. "I was down here because I wanted to play.

"The progress is starting to pick up, and I came down here hoping to play on Wednesday. I felt like every 24-hour period was an opportunity to get myself in position to play, but it was probably high hopes. I'm not ready yet, but I'm going to push next week the same way."

Tournament doctor Domenick Sisto examined Agassi before the press conference. He reported Agassi said his back felt tender to the touch and painful.

On Sunday night Agassi practiced at UCLA for 40 minutes with coach Brad Gilbert in an attempt to get himself ready for a first-round match against 19-year-old Taylor Dent that had been scheduled for today. In the middle of the night, however, Agassi said he experienced a back spasm, causing more soreness and stiffness, which led to his decision to pull out.

Instead of playing Agassi, Dent was matched up in the first round against Frenchman Lionel Roux, who replaced Agassi in the draw. Roux got in because he was a "lucky loser," the next qualifier in line for entry into the main draw.

Although tournament director Bob Kramer said he wanted to accommodate Agassi by allowing him to play on Wednesday, ATP Tour rules stipulate that a player can get a Wednesday start only if he was playing in the Davis Cup on another continent or playing in the finals of a tour event on another continent the Sunday before.

Agassi was non-committal when asked if being allowed to play a day later would have changed his mind.

"It's Monday," he said. "I definitely wouldn't have pulled out, but I don't want to be speculating."

Before Agassi's announcement, seven other players -- including two-time champion Richard Krajicek, French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten and 13th-ranked Thomas Enqvist -- withdrew because of injuries or scheduling conflicts.

To help bolster the field, Kramer did persuade last year's U.S. Open finalist Mark Philippoussis to enter after the 9 a.m. deadline last Friday, but getting the phone call from Agassi Monday was practically a fatal blow.

Kramer said ticket sales were up 30 percent from last year.

"That which doesn't kill me will make me stronger," Kramer joked. "We're very disappointed we lost our No. 1 seed and we're sorry he can't play.

"We've worked year-round to build up a great player field and with the seven or eight injuries, it's disappointing."

"Disappointing" is the word Agassi used to describe the start of his summer, though it could apply to his injury-filled year as well.

First, Agassi left the Australian Open to play in the Davis Cup in Zimbabwe, where he fell ill from severe dehydration. Then he flew 36 hours from Zimbabwe to play in the Sybase Open in San Jose, Calif., but withdrew because of tightness in his back.

At the Queen's Club tournament, a warm-up to Wimbledon held just outside of London, Agassi re-aggravated his back when he took a tumble and fell on the grass. Agassi said he took precautionary measures at Wimbledon to make sure his back was OK, but his five-set loss to Patrick Rafter in the semifinals didn't help.

Because of the car accident Agassi pulled out of playing in the Davis Cup semifinal against Spain over the weekend, in which the American team -- missing Agassi and Pete Sampras -- was defeated 5-0.

Agassi was anxious to play this week, though he didn't want to risk further injury.

"It's not ideal," he said. "I mean, it's already been an incredibly disappointing start to the summer, missing out on the Davis Cup, and now it's creeping into my summer further.

"My first priority is to get 100 percent healthy."

Agassi hopes to play in the Toronto Masters Series tournament that starts July 31. Sisto said Agassi's health will re-evaluated at that time to determine whether he can play.