NEW YORK- Andre Agassi left behind the rapturous cheers of 24,797 spectators and moved inside Arthur Ashe Stadium on work-weary legs after the US Open final yesterday.
The 35-year-old from Las Vegas, who had belied his age in a final to savour, then declared Roger Federer to be simply the
best he had ever played against in a career spanning 20 US Opens.
The 24-year-old Swiss world No 1 had worn down the spirited Agassi, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6, 6-1.
"You step on the court feeling like you have to play a perfect match," Agassi said.
He then payed Federer the ultimate compliment of rating him above Pete Sampras, who retired here in 2002 after winning a record 14th Grand Slam singles title and was world No 1 for a record six years in a row.
Pete was great, no question," said Agassi, who lost 14 of 34 matches against the Californian. "
But there was a place to get to with Pete, you knew what you had to do. If you do it, it could be on your terms. There's no such place like that with Roger."
In Federer's case, Agassi said, opponents reach a point of no return. "With other guys you play - and I've played a lot of them over so many years - there's a safety zone, there's a place to get to, there's something to focus on, there's a way.
"Anything you try to do [Roger] potentially has an answer for, and it's just a function of when he starts pulling the triggers necessary to get you to change to that decision. He plays the game in a very special way. I haven't seen it before.
"He's the only guy I've ever played against where you hold serve to go 1-0 and you're thinking, 'All right, good'. And I'm not just making fun of it, I'm literally telling you the way it is. He can hurt you at any point. You're serving 30-love. He wins the point. It's 30-15. The pressure you feel at 30-15 is different than [playing] anybody else.
"So there's a sense of urgency on every point, on every shot.
In winning his sixth Grand Slam title - the same number as Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg, and two less than Agassi - Federer also became the first man to successfully defend the Wimbledon and US Open titles since the American Donald Budge in 1938.
That was the year Budge accomplished the sport's first Grand Slam. For Federer, who has now won a record 23 finals in a row, beating Agassi here was a personal milestone.
"This is the most special final for me," he said, "to play Andre in the final of the US Open. He's one of the only living legends we have who is still playing, next to Martina Navratilova on the women's side.
"To play him in this situation, towards the end of his career, me being on the top of my game, made it really special."
- INDEPENDENT
NEW YORK- Andre Agassi left behind the rapturous cheers of 24,797 spectators and moved inside Arthur Ashe Stadium on work-weary legs after the US Open final yesterday.
The 35-year-old from Las Vegas, who had belied his age in a final to savour, then declared Roger Federer to be simply the
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