Agassi's Game Improving as the Minutes Rush By

Agassi’s Game Improving as the Minutes Rush By

By JULIE CART

Jan. 24, 1998 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

MELBOURNE, Australia — Andre Agassi is playing like a man making up for lost time. He has been dispatching opponents with such speed at the Australian Open that he scarcely has been able to savor his time on court.

Agassi hung around for 67 minutes during his third-round match. He won 18 of 19 points to begin the match and finished even faster, needing only 17 minutes to win the last set. Agassi defeated Andrea Gaudenzi, 6-2, 6-2, 6-0, to continue his run at Melbourne Park.

Each match is bringing more satisfying results. Agassi, ranked No. 87, dramatically reduced his unforced errors, committing only 23 against the overwhelmed Italian.

Agassi is well pleased with his progress.

“I’m hitting the ball with conviction and purpose and feeling really good,” he said. “Each day’s match is just the reward for a lot of hard work. I mean, I literally look forward to playing. I look forward to competing, to try and win. The harder you push your body, the harder you push your mind, your spirit, the deeper level of satisfaction you have.”

Agassi was asked about the role his wife, actress Brooke Shields, has played in his comeback. He joked, “According to the media, she’s the reason I got to No. 1, and she’s the reason why I fell, and now she’s the reasons why I came back, so God bless Brooke.”

More seriously, he said, “She is the consummate professional. She will always give 110% and it certainly has a tendency to rub off. She inspires me on a lot of levels. I think that’s why I married her.”

Arantxa Sanchez Vicario is coasting through the draw, full of new-found confidence. The seventh-seeded Spaniard defeated Rika Hiraki, 6-2, 6-3, in 64 minutes to advance to the fourth round.

Sanchez Vicario made 15 unforced errors and played the sort of efficient and streamlined game that in the past brought her to No. 1 and five Grand Slam event titles.

She won the warmup event in Sydney, her first title in 20 months. During that drought Sanchez Vicario rethought her approach to tennis and life. For years, Sanchez Vicario was the workhorse of the women’s tour, entering more events than anyone and maintaining a brutal schedule at Grand Slam tournaments of singles, doubles and mixed doubles.

“It’s a long time without winning,” she said, smiling. “It was a happy day. I learned from the situation. I took time off and gave my body and my mind a rest. Your body feels it first. You need to be able to recharge. I learned that I need balance. I put the racket on the side and left tennis, I had fun.”

Such a philosophy is unheard of from Sanchez Vicario, who has been playing professionally since she was 13. Her outlook has changed as she has matured and, at 26, Sanchez Vicario is happy to sit on a beach, not jog on it.

She also made the difficult decision to jettison her brother, Emilio, as coach. She’s back with Angel Giminez, who has worked with her before.

“I’m happy and looking forward to tennis again,” she said. “I guess all those people who said I was finished will have to think again.”