Attention is focused on Agassi

Monday, August 28, 2006 Andy Roddick's first-round match is today against Florent Serra of France. NEW YORK (AP) — All the talk about Andre Agassi's last U.S. Open shifts attention from everyone else: from Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick and Serena Williams. And those other stars have no problem stepping aside for The Agassi Farewell Show. "Obviously, the story from the 2006 U.S. Open, regardless of what happens, is going to be Andre's last tournament. I hope that it's a celebration of his career, for this whole event, and that's what it should be," said Roddick, the 2003 Open champion, whose first-round match against Florent Serra of France is today. "He's earned that right. That will dominate the headlines, and I think it should dominate the headlines." Other past champs Other past champions scheduled to appear on Day 1 include Justine Henin-Hardenne (2003), Svetlana Kuznetsova (2004) and Lindsay Davenport (1998), who hopes to play despite hurting her right shoulder Saturday. But center stage will be reserved for — guess who? — Agassi, the eight-time major champion who's retiring after the Open. He's slated for the only night match, facing Andrei Pavel of Romania after a ceremony renaming the National Tennis Center in honor of ex-player and pioneer Billie Jean King. The 36-year-old Agassi has missed chunks of time on tour this season and isn't seeded, his game hampered by a bad back. "It's not always dependable," he said ahead of his 21st U.S. Open in a row. "But to be here, the inspiration of it — I'm hoping to get out there and feel awesome." Said Federer, who beat Agassi in last year's final: "It's obvious he gets the attention. He deserves it." Agassi's departure leaves a void at the top of tennis, someone who attracts fans and keeps them talking. Changes Questions about the sport's future have prompted changes, including the Grand Slam debut of instant replay at the Open, and the ATP's tweaking of tournament formats (adding round-robin play, dropping best-of-five-set finals at nonmajors, starting events on Sundays rather than Mondays). Personalities help drive tennis' popularity, and the quick-with-a-joke Roddick stirs plenty of interest, whether it's for the on-court success that carried him to the No. 1 ranking three years ago, for the on-court struggles that briefly dropped him out of the top 10 this summer, or for "Are they a couple or not?" gossip about him and Maria Sharapova. Heading into the 2005 U.S. Open, Roddick was at the center of the buzz because of an advertising campaign asking whether people had seen his mojo. He was featured on subway posters, kiosks throughout the National Tennis Center and in ads in New York newspapers. So what happened? He lost in the first round. Confident "I've done well here with all that, with the zoo, before, and I've not done well with the zoo before," Roddick said. "But I'm kind of enjoying the role. There's a lot more important stories here with Andre, Fed, Nadal. I'm somewhere down the line, which I don't mind at all." He also exited in the first round at this year's French Open while battling a bad ankle, was upset in the third round at Wimbledon, missed part of the hard-court circuit with a strained side and went 10 months without any title. But after recently enlisting five-time Open champion Jimmy Connors for coaching assistance, Roddick is playing — and feeling — rather differently. "There's a big difference between going to the courts hoping you're going to hit the ball well and knowing you're going to hit the ball well," Roddick said. "I don't think Jimmy's role plays a small part in it. That's kind of been reinvigorating. His passion for the game is contagious. ... I'm definitely hungry to turn it around." Federer, for one, always considered Roddick a threat. "People were laughing at me when I said, 'I think he's one of the dangerous guys in Wimbledon.' Just a lack of respect to a great player," Federer said. "So he's proven himself he's back." Not all the way back at the top, where No. 1 Federer and No. 2 Nadal are solidly entrenched, having split the past six Grand Slam titles. Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.