Agassi Against Philippoussis? That’s a No-Brainer

WIMBLEDON, England — It was billed as a test of physical strengths, the big server against the best serve returner in Wimbledon’s quarterfinals.

It turned out to be more like a crossword puzzle than a matter of physics. The Immovable Object didn’t overpower the Irresistible Force; it outsmarted it. In straight sets, no less.

If Andre Agassi didn’t have a lot of savvy at the beginning of his career, he certainly acquired his share after spending 14 years on the tour and winning six Grand Slam tournaments.

That was evident in his 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-4 victory over Mark Philippoussis on Centre Court on Wednesday.

As for Philippoussis, there’s an underlying feeling that he--how should we put this?--lacks the mental fortitude to go with his huge serve. One British writer even framed it as a positive, claiming that Philippoussis can play great tennis because his head isn’t cluttered with thoughts.

Agassi was a little less subtle--and much less generous.

“You have to understand people’s strengths and weaknesses,” he said in assessing Philippoussis. “You can’t ask one person to have it all. You can’t serve 140 mph and be fast and think well. It just wouldn’t be right.”

When asked to make a comparison with Patrick Rafter, his opponent in the semifinals, Agassi said, “He thinks a lot more out there than Philippoussis does because he relies on more of a well-rounded game.”

Ouch.

That little mental edge was the difference Wednesday, though.

Philippoussis’ first serves were coming in at an average of 126 mph and topped out at 135. He notched 22 aces.

But whenever he showed even the slightest crack, Agassi slipped through.

Agassi capitalized on two of his four break-point opportunities. Philippoussis double-faulted twice in the eighth game of the second set and once in the third game of the third set to help him out.

Agassi also won two points off a pair of blazing Philippoussis serves in their first-set tiebreaker. Agassi messed with Philippoussis’ head a little bit by altering his setup for returns. Sometimes he bravely dug his heels in on the chalk; sometimes he dropped a few steps behind the baseline.

“I felt like if I backed up, he’s going to have to take a little bit off of that and try to get in tight behind it,” Agassi said. “If he hits it 130, I’m on it, I’m going to return it at his feet. It was about giving him a different look.”

Simply surviving that barrage of 10 aces in the first set should have been a boost to Agassi.

“I don’t get distracted by people acing me,” he said. “I try to just make sure I do well with the opportunities I will get, knowing that they’re eventually going to come. That’s all assuming I’m taking care of my own serve. So there’s a lot going on out there that kind of helps you get around one guy’s particular weapon.”

His weapon is his quick hands, and he demonstrated some amazing reflexes just to get some of those 130-mph serves back across the net.

But his return game is so good that his own serve sometimes gets overlooked.

Don’t sleep on Agassi’s serve. He might not post the most impressive numbers on the radar gun, but he seems to find a little something extra when matched against the big boomers.

“He mixes it up very well,” said Rafter, Philippoussis’ Australian countryman, who lost to Agassi in the 1999 Wimbledon semifinals. “He can be tough to pick at times. I remember last year he was very hard to pick. He had a lot on his serve. He was serving very hard, in the corners.

“Someone like Andre, you can’t just get the ball back on your return; you have to do something with it. He opens up the court on his serve, and he just rips the next one. Grass is not an easy surface to move on once you’re out of balance. He opens up the court; he’s in control. That’s another part of his service game that works very well.”

Agassi had seven aces in Wednesday’s match and has not lost a service game in his last three matches.

Agassi also got the better of the longer rallies. Generally, the more strokes, the higher the chance of Philippoussis making an error.

Now the only thing Agassi has to crank up again is his p.r. machine.

There’s not much news about him these days. He’s still going out with Steffi Graf. His head is still shaved. He’s even saying dull things like “You take it one game at a time.” It could be time for another image makeover.

After coming back from a 5-2 deficit to Todd Martin in the fifth set in the second round, Agassi quietly moved past Jerome Golmard and David Prinosil.

Meanwhile, Anna Kournikova lost in the second round but still dominates the front pages of the tabloids. They’re obsessed with a fashion battle between her and actress/model Elizabeth Hurley, who both attended a charity function at Buckingham Palace Sunday (consensus: advantage Kournikova).

The papers have not even bothered to look ahead to a possible matchup between Agassi and Pete Sampras in the final. Once upon a time, their rivalry was the talk of tennis.

To indicate how much things have changed, Agassi was asked more questions about the Williams sisters than about Sampras on Wednesday. (For the record, he thinks Serena will beat Venus).

The Williamses have everyone excited because they’re beginning to realize their potential. But as Martina Navratilova said, “They haven’t reached their prime right now.”

Blend those physical gifts with the extra benefits that come with experience and you’d really have a special player.

Kind of like Andre Agassi.

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J.A. Adande can be reached at his e-mail address: [email protected]