Agassi looks to extend his US Open farewell performance

Aug 29, 2006, 18:39 GMT

New York - Andre Agassi has until Thursday night to calm his nerves and gird his body for Act II of his tennis farewell, after coming through a thrilling win to open his career-concluding roadshow.

The two-time US Open champion rallied past Romanian Andrei Pavel to win into a second-round contest at Flushing Meadows against an opponent who faced Roger Federer at this year's Australian Open final.

Eighth seed Marcos Baghdatis will get his only career chance to play against the legend, holder of 60 Grand Slam titles who is ending his run on court after 21 appearances in New York.

'Never played against him, match-up is always interesting dynamic to see,' said Agassi, who is 15 years older than the Cypriot showman. '(He's) one of those guys you'd pay to go watch.'

Agassi will again have the will of almost all of the 23,000 fans expected to pack the largest stadium in tennis to watch the icon.

Agassi admits that saying goodbye is proving to be as much of an emotional test as his chronic back problems are a physical one.

'It's going to be the toughest one as far as the emotional side of things go. Hopefully I can even pick it up from there,' he said after beating Pavel in four sets.

Agassi has been planning his long goodbye for months. He had hoped to play a full hardcourt summer - he instead managed three matches as defending champion in Los Angeles, one in Washington where he lost in the first round.

'I didn't play a lot this summer. (But) I wanted to be here,' said the holder of 60 titles including eight Grand Slams and the Open in 1994 and 1999.

'How I pull up is a day-to-day issue. At Wimbledon, after an hour- fifteen, an hour-thirty, I was having a hard time standing.

'To be out there for that (more than three hours against Pavel) long gives me hope for what I can push myself through right now.

'But how I recover is a different issue.'

Agassi knows from years of experience that tennis is also a mind game.

'When you're not comfortable or relaxed, the game's a lot hotter. It's a lot faster. The ball looks like a golf ball more than a tennis ball. It's moving quick and you're a little unsure.

'But then when you start to settle into a match you start to know where you're hitting it, you know right when it leaves your strings, and you're able to move offensively or defensively as a result of that.

'You just get into the flow of it better.'

Agassi admits that partisan crowds are a huge help to him, 'Their cheering for me doesn't hurt my concentration.

'It makes me try harder. Sometimes trying harder keeps you from staying as relaxed as you need to '