Andre Agassi gets in some practice time at the ATP Tennis Center. (Ernest Coleman photo) | ZOOM |

        What's been happening with some of the ATP Tour players since their last visit to Cincinnati?

        CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME

        Let's get the ball rolling with a feel-good story from Houston in April. Seems an 8-year-old boy had saved more than $200 of his allowance money and wanted to give it to Andre Agassi for his foundation in Las Vegas. The boy was escorted to the locker room where he received a hug and racquet from Agassi, who told him: “You don't know how this will affect children's lives in Las Vegas.” Who says there aren't any role models out there?

        9/11

        As long as we're talking charity, the ATP Tour raised more than $20,000 for families of victims from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Three items — a signed racket from Agassi from the 2001 Australian Open, an autographed picture of Agassi, Pete Sampras, Jim Courier and Michael Chang, and a signed program from Wimbledon 2000 (when Sampras won his record-setting 13th Grand Slam) — combined to raise roughly $10,000.

        AND FINALLY ...

        Andy Roddick, who turns 20 on Aug. 30, was helping raise money for the Montgomery County Family YMCA's indoor tennis center in Red Oak, Iowa, when he challenged the crowd at a dedication ceremony to return his serve. Three local high school players did, and Roddick donated $3,000 to the center, which is an hour from Roddick's birthplace of Omaha, Neb.

        Roddick, who has called four-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong “an inspiration,” was supposed to participate in Armstrong's fund-raiser for his foundation in April, but Roddick had to back out because of a scheduling conflict. He then pledged $100 for every ace he hit in Davis Cup play in Houston. Roddick tallied 26 aces and donated $3,000 to Armstrong's charity.

        HOCUS POCUS

        Then there's Roddick, appearing as himself on Sabrina, The Teenage Witch in an April episode. Sabrina wanted private lessons from Roddick after her boyfriend told her she wasn't competitive enough. “I think I'll stick to my day job,” Roddick said.

        WE'LL MISS YOU

        Popular Australian Patrick Rafter, Cincinnati's champion in 1998, has stuck to his word — so far — and sat out the 2002 season. He has said he will not play tournament tennis, including Davis Cup, this year.

        “But for the future, it's really hard to tell,” he has said. “I really don't know. Day to day, I feel different about it; some days I feel excited about it, some days I don't want to.”

        Rafter had played in Cincinnati eight of the past nine years, missing 2000 because of an injury.

        He received the 2001 Australian of the Year Award, as well as the country's “Don” award as its most inspiring athlete.

        WE'LL MISS YOU II

        Colorful Croatian Goran Ivanisevic, the 2001 Wimbledon champion who is always fun to watch, also will not play this week and is missing most of the year. He had shoulder surgery in May to repair a tear in his serving shoulder.

        Last November, Ivanisevic was drafted for duty by the Croatian military and was officially sworn in Dec. 15 in Zagreb. He was enrolled for six months of service. “I know I have to undergo basic drill first. But after that, they will probably send me to catch Osama bin Laden,” Ivanisevic said.

        LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

        When Taylor Dent won the Miller Lite Hall of Fame Championships in Newport, R.I., last month, he made history. He and his dad Phil became the first father and son to win ATP singles titles in the Open era. “Actually, I had no idea,” Taylor said later. “My dad called me the next day as I was fighting my hangover and he told me: "Hey, you put us in history yesterday.' ”

        ON THE MOVE

        Romanian Andrei Pavel was in a quarterfinal match at the French Open against Alex Corretja that was suspended by darkness when he received a call from his wife, Simone, who was in labor and about to give birth to the couple's second child. Pavel left Roland Garros and drove 435 miles to Bielefeld, Germany, where his wife was. There were several car accidents that turned the six-hour trip into eight hours. Pavel was 90 minutes away when his son was born.

        After spending two hours with his family, Pavel returned to Paris, got two hours sleep on a couch in the players' lounge and returned to the court, where he lost the match. “I don't feel even a little bit sorry that I lost because I'm so happy to go back home,” Pavel said.

        BUILDING PERFECTION

        In the first issue of Deuce, a magazine produced by the ATP Tour, veteran Todd Martin was asked to build a tennis player prototype. This is what he settled on:

        Serve — Sampras. Returns — Lleyton Hewitt. Volleys — Rafter. Forehand — Carlos Moya. Backhand — Agassi/Marat Safin. Movement — Hewitt. Brain — Fabrice Santoro. Heart — Rafter. Athlete — Tim Henman. Touch — Santoro. Eyes — Agassi. Trash-talker — Yevgeny Kafelnikov.

        ANOTHER KIND OF PERFECTION

        The same publication asked four women to — how shall we say this? — hold a tournament of sorts among eight players to decide who “has the most clout with the ladies.” American James Blake, 22, edged Rafter in the final (7-5). The other contestants: Mark Philippoussis, Safin, Roddick, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Gustavo Kuerten and Corretja.

        Blake has recently been featured in People magazine, has modeled for Vogue and worked fashion shows at some ATP events. A Dallas Morning News writer called him “a walking Benetton ad.” Roddick, Blake and Safin were featured in the annual Sports Illustrated for Women swimsuit issue.

        FIRST FOR EVERYTHING

        It is an understatement to say there have been some outstanding tennis players from Australia over the years. But Hewitt, the reigning Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion, became the first to be pictured on a postage stamp in his home country. It is a 45-center, and Hewitt is shown holding his 2001 U.S. Open trophy.

        TOUGH LUCK, GUYS

        The players with the best records in Cincinnati without a title are Henman (12-6, .667) and Kafelnikov (16-8, .667). Henman lost to Kuerten in the semifinals last year and to Thomas Enqvist in the 2000 final. Kafelnikov lost to Rafter in the 1999 and '98 semis.

        SPEAKING OF KAFELNIKOV

        Last October, the 28-year-old Russian donated his entire championship check of $137,000 from the Kremlin Cup in Moscow to families of victims of an Oct. 4 airplane crash into the Black Sea.

        SO LONG, FAREWELL

        Some familiar names have called it quits since last year. American Chris Woodruff, 29, retired in April after a nine-year career. He had two career titles, including the 1997 Tennis Masters Series Montreal. He was 6-5 in five appearances in Cincinnati.

        Spaniard Sergi Bruguera, 31, retired in April. He won 14 titles, including the French Open in 1993 and '94, and was ranked as high as No. 3 in the world (1994). He played in Cincinnati four times and was 5-4, advancing to the quarterfinals in '97.

        Others who have ended their careers: Swede Magnus Gustafsson, Americans Alex O'Brien and David Wheaton and Byron Black of Zimbabwe.

        NATIONAL ACCLAIM

        In a new book called Tennis's most wanted, the top 10 book of baseline blunders, clay court wonders and lucky lobs, the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters was rated the sixth-best tournament in the world, behind: 1. Wimbledon, 2. U.S. Open, 3. French Open, 4. Australian Open, 5. Tennis Masters Series Rome.

        WELCOME ABOARD

        The Tennis Masters Series Stuttgart event moves to Madrid (Oct. 14-20) for at least five years. Stuttgart played host to the tournament for the past 11 years. Kind of makes you take seriously the prospect of Cincinnati losing its event if it can't get its facility issue settled.

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