Andre Agassi was raised in Las Vegas and still lives there. So he knows heat. Ask tennis’ eighth Grand Slam champion his most vivid memory of the Legg Mason Classic and his answer fittingly features Washington’s summer swelter.
It was the finals in 1995. Agassi was up two breaks in the third set, trying to close out Sweden’sStefan Edberg, when he felt faint.
“I would hit a ball way up in the air, drift back to the baseline, and puke in the bushes,” said Agassi. “And then sort of re-enter the point.”
Agassi survived that set to win his third of five Legg Mason titles. He’s back for his final appearance — he will retire next month after the U.S. Open — and one last dose of Washington heat, as temperatures push toward triple digits.
Agassi, 36, will play tonight against the winner of Monday night’s match between Andrea Stoppini of Italy and local favorite Paul Goldstein. Agassi is seeded fourth.
“It would be great to spend the whole week here,” said Agassi, perhaps bracing for a hot championship match. The final is set for 3 p.m., Sunday.
Agassi last played in the Legg Mason final in 2000, losing to Alex Corretja. He withdrew last year. In between, he made it to the semifinals four straight times.
“It’s been a good platform for me — inside the lines, meaning the actual court, the conditions,” said Agassi. “It’s a good platform for me to get ready for the U.S. Open and have a good summer.”
Good and hot. In a press conference Monday at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park, Agassi’s reflections of Washington ranged from sweet to sweat.
“It’s hard to ignore the nostalgia. I feel it at the moments I least expect it,” he said. “After a practice I’m sitting there, it’s only me, with a sweat you can only achieve in Washington D.C.”
