The Drive for Five is on.
Andre Agassi opened his Australian Open defense and quest for a fifth title by trouncing Todd Larkham 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 in the first round on Monday.
The American hardly broke sweat as he disposed of Larkham, who has won just two Grand Slam matches in a 10-year career, in a little over an hour and a half.
“In your first match, it’s always a bit awkward so you’re always happy when you get through,” he said.
Agassi will play Czech qualifier Tomas Berdych in the second round on Wednesday.
Traveling companions
Agassi is learning that having two young children is a lot more work than one, especially with a tennis player’s vagabond lifestyle.
“It’s probably about tenfold, to be quite honest,” said Agassi, whose wife, Steffi Graf, gave birth in October to daughter Jaz. Their son, Jaden, is 2 years old.
“Excluding being in the [airplane] cabin with two kids that you’re trying to keep from disturbing other passengers, we look very forward to coming here,” he said, laughing.
One area where he has been forced to compromise is quiet time with his wife.
“I don’t see her for hours at a time,” Agassi said. “At the end of the day, you put your feet up and go, `Oh, doesn’t this feel good? Maybe we should go to sleep so we’re ready for tomorrow.”‘
Still working hard
He has tried to not let family concerns affect his preparation for tournaments.
“It’s just extra work, making sure I’m in position to be at my best or to accept the compromise,” Agassi said. “I haven’t compromised anything yet. But it’s a lot of work to keep that from happening.”
Children and his age (33) have forced schedule cuts.
“I have to be pretty selective,” he said. “I played 13 tournaments last year, kept myself in position to give myself a look at the big ones. And this year I’ll have to do the same.
“I feel like I’m constantly making decisions. And with two kids, it throws in another variable.”
By the numbers
786
Singles victories by Agassi in his career. He has lost 241 matches. His career earnings are $28,189,425.
58
Career singles titles, including eight Grand Slam titles (4 Australian, 2 U.S., 1 French and 1 Wimbledon).
2
Where Agassi stands in Australian Open titles, tied at 4 with Jack Crawford and Ken Rosewall. Roy Emerson holds the mark with 6 Australian titles.
Agassi’s run in the Australian Open
Andre Agassi, who missed the 2002 Australian Open because of injury, is chasing his fifth title in the season-opening Grand Slam event. With Monday’s victory, he has won a record 22 consecutive matches at Melbourne Park. How he has fared in the event:
1995: Title No. 1
Recuperating from a wrist injury, Agassi beat No. 1 seed Pete Sampras 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4. Agassi took control after Sampras squandered two set points in the third-set tiebreaker. Agassi, who closed out his second straight Grand Slam title with an ace, went on to win seven titles in 1995 while compiling a 73-9 match record.
2000: Title No. 2
Agassi claimed his second Australian Open and sixth Grand Slam title in an artistic and bruising victory over Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. Agassi put the exclamation point on his win with three aces at up to 123 m.p.h. in the last game. Agassi became the first player to reach four straight major finals since Rod Laver won the Grand Slam in 1969, and pushed his career earnings to nearly $20 million with the $485,000 winner’s check.
2001: Title No. 3
Agassi opened the season by beating Aranud Clement of France 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 for his seventh career Grand Slam crown. He went on to become the only player on the ATP circuit during the year to reach the quarters or better in all four Grand Slam events (which he also accomplished in 1995). The win was the first time in his career he successfully defended a Grand Slam title.
2003: Title No. 4
In an overwhelming display of ruthless precision, Agassi crushed Germany’s Rainer Schuettler 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 in just 1 hour 16 minutes. It made the 32-year-old the oldest Grand Slam champion in more than three decades (since Andres Gimeno won the French Open in 1972 at the age of 34).
Other performances
1996: As the No. 2 seed, Agassi lost in straight sets to Michael Chang in the semifinals.
1998: After winning the first two sets, Agassi lost three straight sets and the fourth-round match to Alberto Berasategui of Spain.
1999: Agassi, the No. 5 seed, was upset in the fourth round by unseeded American Vince Spadea.
Source: Australian Open.
