Brooke Shields to Combat Agassi’s “Open” Comments in Her Own Book

Actress Brook Shields, who is the ex-wife of tennis star Andre Agassi, recently told the Ladies’ Home Journal that Agassi’s comments about his run in with the cast of “Friends” was not 100 percent.

Shields reflected on the innocent where Agassi claimed he walked out of the studio because Shields was suppose to lick Matt Le Blanc’s hand.

Agassi’s account of the incident in his best selling autobiography “Open” suggested that he drove home and smashed all of his tennis trophies.

Shields claims that the story included more detail.

“Does he mention I spent the next three years replicating those trophies? He doesn’t say that, does he?” 

 ”Of course not,” said Shields. That’ll be in my book!”

Quotes courtesy of tennis.com.

Federer, Nadal, Sampras, and Agassi Will “Hit for Haiti” in Indian Wells

Past and Present BNP Paribas Open Champions will “Hit for Haiti” to Raise Funds

The BNP Paribas Open, home of the year’s first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells, California announced today that a “Hit for Haiti” event will take place on Friday March 12 at 7:30 pm.

The event will feature: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, the four all-time greats, who hold a combined 44 Grand Slams between them, in doubles action.

Larry Ellison, who recently purchased the tournament, decided to organize the event after seeing the success it brought in Australia. The goal for the event is to raise $1 million.

“When I saw the first Hit for Haiti event in Australia, I was very moved by the players coming together, on the eve of an important tournament, for such a worthy cause,” said Ellison. “I wanted to bring together an exceptional group of players, with an unprecedented amount of Grand Slam titles, at the BNP Paribas Open. Our goal is to leave a memorable impression on fans, while raising a substantial amount of money that will directly impact the needs of people in Haiti.

The world’s most attended tennis tournament outside of the four Grand Slam events, will take place between March 8-21, 2010.

The event will be broadcasted on Tennis Channel.

Quotes courtesy of www.bnpparibasopen.org.

Baghdatis Pleased by “Open” Mention

Recent Sydney champion Marcos Baghdatis told the Sydney Morning Herald that he was honored to be mentioned in Andre Agassi’s autobiography “Open.”

Baghdatis, who played an epic match with Agassi during the 2006 US Open, told reporters that he was thrilled to read the American’s book.

“Andre showed me his book before it came out so I could read it,” said Baghdatis. “I was honoured that he had written about me in the first chapter.”

In the first chapter, Agassi described how the two fatigued combatants linked arms when the TV highlights of the match was shown.

“[T]here was a lot of emotion there for me, remembering that match,” said Baghdatis. “I took it [the book] back to Cyprus so my parents could read it. It gives us great pleasure.”

“He says a lot of nice things about me in his book. I don’t think he says say nice things about all the other players in the book.”

Quotes courtesy of tennis.com.

Sampras Upset Over Comments In Agassi’s Book

Pete Sampras said on Thursday that he would like to sit down with Andre Agassi and discuss the “shots” he took at him in his book Open.

Pete hasn’t read the book, and admits that he doesn’t have any intention of do so, but would like to meet with Agassi “man to man” to discuss what he feels were unnecessary comments by the former No.1.

“I got wind of a few things that he said about me, and I was a little surprised and a little disappointed,” Sampras said. “I always felt like Andre and I had risen above taking shots at one another. When I did my book, it wasn’t my way of settling scores or taking shots.”

Sampras said the comments about his dullness and cheapness were what affected him the most.

Agassi bet his coach at the time Brad Gilbert that Sampras would only tip a valet attendent one dollar, and when Agassi asked the valet he confirmed it.

Sampras also spoke briefly about Agassi’s trying period in 1997.

“He was a big rival,” said Sampras, who retired in 2003. “I think it’s a reflection that I didn’t know Andre all that well in our competitive days. Got to know him a little bit better as we got older, but in [our] mid-20s and times he was there and at times he was a little removed. Little did I know he was getting involved in some bad decisions.”

quote source here

Rivalries Of The Decade

Along with their feature on the top 5 players of the decade, the ATP has now posted what it claims to be the top 5 rivalries of the decade. Most people will not disagree with the list especially given the top 2 spots.

Top 5 Rivalries (2000-2009)

1. Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal
2. Pete Sampras vs Andre Agassi
3. Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic
4. Roger Federer vs David Nalbandian
5. Andre Agassi vs Patrick Rafter

Honorable mention:
Marat Safin vs Fabrice Santoro

To see the full list with explanations click here

Agassi’s Book Selling Well In Europe

The news of “Open,” the autobiography of Andre Agassi, appears to be selling well across Europe.

Agassi had this to say about the message behind his book.

“I want to give (people) the opportunity to avoid the mistakes I made,” Agassi said. “Problems, pain and depression are nothing bad: we all share the same struggle, regardless of how much money and titles you have.”

When Agassi was asked about the negative comments from fellow players the likes of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, the former No. 1 had this to say:

“Anyone who starts their answer with, ‘I haven’t read the book, but…,’ I hope that they would read it all and then speak. To Rafael Nadal, Marat Safin, Martina Navratilova and Roger Federer, I would say: If they do that and they still have the same opinion of me, I would be sad and disappointed.”

At a book signing in London, Agassi’s book sold 3000 copies as 900 people anxiously awaited the former No. 1’s arrival.

quote source here

2009 in Review: What We’ll Remember, Part 1

When reviewing the events of 2009, it’s hard not to miss the obvious: Roger Federer won his 15th slam title; Rafael Nadal failed to five-peat in Paris; Juan Martin del Potro grabbed his first ever Major in New York; and Andre Agassi reminded us all that tennis players are human after all.

With that being said, there was a gamut of activity that didn’t included the top tier of men’s tennis during the ATP World Tour and the ITF season.

Let’s now begin our journey into recapping a year which saw quite a few enticing storylines.

January Down Under:

Tennis has never wasted any time in reaching back and throwing one of its marquee events right out of the blocks. January saw nothing short of the world’s best grind out two weeks of sweltering drama in Australia.

French Falter: Mr. Pizazz and pearl earrings, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga failed to recapture his glory of 2008. Tsonga simply couldn’t bring back his spell-bounding electricity of one year ago in a losing fourth round effort to Fernando Verdasco.

Spanish hardship: The Armada was full of vigor in the latter portion of the event. Rafa Nadal brought forth every ounce of mental fortitude he could provide, while Verdasco poured in his best Slam performance to date.

With only four double faults throughout the five hour and 15 minute classic, Verdasco’s elbow couldn’t fight off the pressure on match point—the top of the tape simply brought Verdasco to the anguish of his best ever match.

Finals are meant to be hard, no? Coming in fresh and ready to tie Pete Sampras’ mark of 14 slams, Roger Federer found out the hard way that Nadal’s Spanish sizzle worked well on pretty much any surface.

Trading sets back and forth, Nadal’s persistent fitness and depth of shot broke down the Swiss maestro more ways than one—the new year, in only its first month, had the moment of the season already with a consoling embrace between tennis’ two superstars.

Tennis in February?

In a month relegated to an early pit stop on Tour, both Nadal and Federer saw limited on-court action. Federer, who lives down the street from the million dollar event in Dubai, decided to stop shop and recharge his Aussie blues. Nadal, who limped into the Rotterdam final, came to the realization that his results would diminish when competing on a bad wheel. Rafa’s outcome: A three set shellacking at the hands of Andy Murray.

Novak cleans up: With a diminished field in Dubai, Novak Djokovic picked a crucial title at the time, considering his lame and unfit dismissal in Melbourne.

Other winners in the February included: Tsonga in South Africa and Marseille; Marin Cilic in Croatia; Fernando Gonzalez in Chile; Tommy Robredo in Brazil and Argentina; Radek Stepanek in San Jose; Andy Roddick in Memphis; Mardy Fish in Delray Beach; and Nicolas Almagro in Mexico.

I guess there was some tennis to be had after all.

March Madness: The Sand and the Beach:

Without question my favorite time of the year comes in March. Not only do I get to shed my detest for the winter months in Toronto, but I embark on obtaining a good gauge on the hard court prowess of the world’s best.

Dreamin’: Hot days and cool nights brought the best out of Nadal once again in Indian Wells. Early golfing and afternoon training seemed to fit right in with Nadal’s California dominance.

Struggling through service woes during the early stages of the event, Nadal’s diligent and methodical practice regiment saw him preserve through 40 MPH winds to dispatch Murray in the finals.

Nadal to my mind remains the best wind player on Tour.

Observing Nadal’s progress during the event, I couldn’t help but appreciate his unbridled passion and commitment to conduct himself as a true professional.

His hoisting of his second title in Palm Springs gave us all the impression that a bright and prosperous year lied ahead for the Spaniard—or so we thought.

Blues: Miami’s nightlife and humid conditions would be up next for the Tour faithful.

Gunning for the elusive back-to-back triumph of Indian Wells and Miami, Nadal uncharacteristically fell apart in the quarterfinals against del Potro.

Nadal would later leave the tennis community with the jaw-dropping proposal of a “personal problem.” That problem, as we all found out shortly thereafter became the downfall of Nadal’s season.

With the top ranked Spaniard out of commission, the stage was set for Federer, Murray and Djokovic to shine.

Federer’s disappointment from Australia remained intact, forcing the Swiss to shatter his magical wand.

In the midst of the top two seeds faltering, Murray and Djokovic were more than eager to showcase their skill sets for the Florida public.

Murray, who resides in Miami, proved that his desert loss to Nadal was quickly forgotten. In an great exhibition of touch and powerful serving, the Scot routinely dismissed Djokovic 6-2, 7-5.

With the win, Murray was once again back in the fold as a serious Tour contender—status that was well earned, but not an absolute by any means.

April Brings the Brick

With eight months of hard court action neatly tucked away until the US Open series, the world’s best began what became six weeks of revealing European tennis.

Nadal picked up right where he left off in 2008, dusting everyone in site to capture his fifth straight title in Monte Carlo and Barcelona, as well as his fourth overall title in Roma.

A Sure Bet: Nadal’s knee tape was a thing of the past, and it appeared all but certain that death and Nadal winning the French Open would continue to be part of life’s certainties.

Federer’s woes continued to slide through Europe, causing early round departures from Monte Carlo and Roma.

However, a surprise wedding and the announcement of kids on the way seemed to represent a change of Federer’s priorities—would his career finally take a back seat to his personal life?

From a man who once noted: “I live the game,” that would certainly hard to believe.

A commendable shout out to Juan Carlos Ferrero and Lleyton Hewitt—two ex former No. 1s and Grand Slam champions, who picked up there first Tour titles in six and two years respectively.

Ferrero mastered the field in Casablanca, while Hewitt gutted through a modest draw in Houston.

The clay season was in full swing, leaving the forth coming French Open to culminate the ‘09 ruler of the dirt.

—

Please check back on Saturday for part two of the year in review.

Aussie John Newcombe On Agassi’s Side

Former Aussie great John Newcombe has voiced his support for the 8-time Grand Slam champion. “I’ve actually been thinking about writing him a letter,” Newcombe old Australian media. “Just a little show of support because there are a lot of people criticizing him … and I’m not sure they have got the facts right. The weaknesses revealed are not anti-tennis, they are human frailties, the story of living with that sort of pressure. I’m 100 percent against drugs but (depressed) people do some desperate things… I’ve got complete sympathy. I didn’t understand when some of the top players and former top players came out and criticized him (for taking crystal meth). It was not performance enhancing. In fact, it was the opposite.”

This news comes as other players both past and present have expressed both disgust and frustration with the Agassi revelation (Brugera, Federer, Nadal, Safin, etc).

source: here

Video: Agassi on Letterman

Here is the Agassi interview on David Letterman that aired a few weeks ago. Very much the same discussion that we have heard several times from Agassi now but Dave always manages to at least put some humor into it.

Radio Podcast Nov 17, 2009

Another week, another installment of our hit podcast. This week we break down the Paris Indoors, the Safin retirement, Andre Agassi’s book signing and a little bit of everything. As always you can download the podcast on iTunes as well and be sure to tune in on Sunday as we will have another podcast featuring an interview with Rob Steckley, former touring pro and current coach of the #35 ranked WTA player Aleksandra Wozniak.

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