Het officiele persbericht:
Agassi Pulls Out of Legg Mason
By Liz Clarke
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, August 1, 2005; 11:33 AM
Andre Agassi has withdrawn from the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, breaking a 16-year streak of consecutive appearances in the hard-court tournament.
Agassi informed tournament officials by fax Sunday night, shortly after defeating Gilles Muller to win his first tournament of the year, the Mercedes-Benz Cup in Los Angeles.
"Over the years I have been privileged to be a part of the Legg Mason," Agassi's letter read. "However, at this point in my career, I have to be extremely selective about the amount of matches that I play in preparation of the U.S. Open. I am sorry that I will not be there this year, but hope to return in 2006."
Agassi, 35, has been struggling with debilitating pain from periodic flare-ups of a sciatic nerve in his lower back. The nagging injury led to his first-round defeat in the French Open in May. After taking two months to recuperate, he returned to competition last week in Los Angeles and looked in dazzling form in Sunday's final, defeating Muller, 6-4, 7-5 for his 60th career title.
With eight Grand Slam titles on his resume, Agassi has his sights set on peaking for this year's U.S. Open. His withdrawal from the Legg Mason leaves top-seeded Andy Roddick as the tournament's main attraction. It also opens up the other half of the draw, where Czechoslavkia's Radek Stepanek is the highest seed remaining (fourth).
Tournament chairman Donald Dell called Agassi's withdrawal unfortunate but understandable. "We are very appreciative of his participation and loyalty to the event every year since 1990," Dell said in a statement. "After winning the Mercedes-Benz tournament in Los Angeles this weekend, Andre feels he needs to rest, and we certainly understand that his health has to be his first priority."
J.
You bend your words like Uri Geller spoons...