A Crucial Point

This is no longer the case. With his 32nd birthday a couple of months away, the most recent pieces of information about Agassi in the last month--a wrist injury keeping him out of the Australian Open and a break with longtime coach Brad Gilbert--have been grouped together:

A plus B equals career in crisis.

Together, the injury and coaching change have raised questions about his future, generating legitimate scrutiny. But these things can gather momentum, as Pete Sampras will attest, worrying sponsors and tournament directors. A Sampras quote at Wimbledon in 2001, pulled out of context, had him dealing with the issue of retirement for months.

Agassi, as always, is his best spokesman, stepping in front of the rolling boulder, so to speak. In an interview, he spelled out his current rehabilitation regime, and his future plans, which include the addition of a new coach.

He has been speaking with hand surgeon Leonard Gordon almost daily, having first put the wrist in a splint and rehabilitating it to decrease the pain and inflammation. Monday, he took the next step, starting a strengthening program, engaging in light hitting for the first time since the injury.

And instead of winding down, Agassi is looking ahead, searching for Gilbert's replacement. His focus is on one candidate, Australian Darren Cahill, and Agassi said, "There's a strong likelihood it will happen."

Agassi, who married Steffi Graf and became a father in October, addressed the questions about his continued commitment in the aftermath of his injury. He also allowed his doctor to be interviewed, a rare concession from a private individual.

"I'm still very intent on maximizing whatever I have left," Agassi told The Times in a telephone interview from his home in Las Vegas. "And I do believe I have a lot left. I believe that with all my heart. And this step is a crucial step for me because it's an important time."

Gordon said he is treating Agassi's inflamed wrist with "conservative measures" to avoid surgery, which he had in 1993.

"It's really hard to prognosticate as far as time is concerned,'' said Gordon, who noted that the injury to the lining of the tendons on the back of Agassi's wrist is not uncommon but occurred in an unusual place.