Andre Agassi reaches for a 123 mph serve by Younes El Aynaoui. (Gary Landers photo) | ZOOM |

        MASON — Every practice, every tournament, every match is time away from his family. So precious is each moment that Andre Agassi doesn't dare waste them by giving anything but his best effort.

        Agassi said Monday that this is just the second week of the year that he has had to be separated from his son Jaden Gil and wife Steffi Graf.

        “The focus (on tennis) is harder in some respects but easier in others,” Agassi said after his 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory over Younes El Aynaoui in the first round of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters.

        “It's impossible for me to spend a week away from my family, go out on the court and not give it everything I have. Because, I mean, I am away from my family. I might as well be doing this for a reason.”

IF YOU GO

What: Western & Southern Financial Group Masters.     Where: ATP Tennis Center, Mason.     Today's schedule: Sessions at 11 a.m., 7 p.m.     TV: 1-3 p.m., ESPN (live), 10 p.m.-midnight, ESPN2 (same-day delayed)     Tickets: Available for both sessions at $20 each. Call 651-0303 or TicketMaster at 562-4949 (www.ticketmaster.com). Click here to view tournament draw bracket (Acrobat PDF file, 10K)

        Since we last saw Andre Agassi, he married Graf (Oct. 22), became a father (Oct. 26) and watched as a long-time dream became a reality: The Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy opened in Las Vegas last fall; The charter school provides quality educational opportunities to children from underprivileged neighborhoods.

        Though he has washed his child's dirty clothes and changed his share of diapers, Agassi said fatherhood has not taught him anything new about himself. He has, however, seen his wife in a new light. A brighter light.

        “I learned that she's a better mom than I even thought she would be, which is saying a lot,” Agassi said of Graf, who retired from the women's tour in 1999 with 22 Grand Slam titles.

        He told the ATP Tour's Deuce magazine, “When they handed me my son I was prepared to be blown away, but I was more blown away by my wife and what we had shared, what we had done — eventually what we were taking on.”

        When asked Monday about the past nine-plus months, Agassi called fatherhood “the greatest thing I have ever experienced.”

        “It's like a discovery every day to learn more about who my son is and to share in that side of it,” Agassi said. “It's a joy; anybody that's a parent would understand.”

        One thing is for certain — his tennis has not suffered. When healthy, he remains one of the world's best — and most popular — players.

        Ranked No. 6, Agassi is the only player to have won two Tennis Masters Series events this year (Miami, Rome). He is 35-5 in 2002 and won in Rome in May without dropping a set in six matches.

Andre Agassi launches a serve. (AP Photo/Al Behrman) | ZOOM |

        The year got off to a rocky start when he withdrew from the Australian Open 12 hours before it started with a wrist injury, unable to defend his title in the Grand Slam event. Perry Rogers, Agassi's close friend and business manager, told USA Today in March that Agassi's camp might have over-reacted to the injury, but “ ... at the time, Andre definitely did not think he could go seven rounds. And Andre is not in a tournament to get to just the third round. He plays to win the whole thing.”

        Agassi was concerned about his career, wondered if maybe it was coming to an end because his wrist would no longer hold up. He saw a doctor, then rested for six weeks. He returned to the tour in late February and promptly won nine of his first 10 matches.

        In nine events this year, Agassi has won four times. He reached the finals in San Jose (losing to No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt), the semifinals in Houston (losing to long-time rival Pete Sampras) and the quarterfinals at the French Open (losing to eventual runner-up Juan Carlos Ferrero).

        His most disappointing defeat came in straight sets in the second round at Wimbledon to little-known Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand.

        Agassi, 32, has not lost a match since. He won the Mercedes-Benz Cup in Los Angeles two weeks ago and is 21-2 on hardcourts this year.

        “I go into big tournaments feeling if I play my best tennis, I can win, and that's critical for me, at least at this stage,” Agassi said. “I don't know if that will ever change.”

        After winning in L.A., Agassi pulled out of the Tennis Masters Series Toronto last week and absorbed an $80,000 fine. He cited a lower back and hip injury and said again Monday that he was not fit to play (though he disagrees with the fine).

        “I don't have four weeks in a row in me anymore,” he said. “I can't do that. I need to pay attention to every sort of kink I may feel, and I have to give myself the rest and the reason to go hard again.”

        Agassi is considered one of the more physically fit players on the ATP Tour. His training regimen, which includes sprints up a steep hill in Las Vegas, is well-documented.

        He has taken his conditioning more seriously in recent years, and it has paid off.

        “You have to work harder, but you have to work smarter, too,” he said.

        “I can't just take the toll. I can't just keep taking money out of the bank. You start writing checks your body can't cash after a while.”

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