Washington, Aug 01: World number one Andre Agassi will not play in the 2004 Athens Olympics and the men's tennis star still has no idea whether pregnant wife Steffi Graf is carrying a son or a daughter.

The 33-year-old American said here yesterday after a third-round triumph at the 600,000-dollar ATP Washington Classic that he prefers to leave the Olympics to a younger generation of US players such as Andy Roddick and James Blake.
"I'm not going to be playing the Olympics," Agassi said. "I'm going to miss it, but that's a choice I made long ago."
Agassi has not played for the US Davis Cup team in several years to focus his body and mind on grand slam tennis. Given that, Agassi said he does not feel he could come back and swipe a spot on the US Olympic squad.
"I can't sit back and say I need to save myself and have the young guys play and then suddenly step up every four years and play for the country," Agassi said. "I can't just pick and choose when I want to play for my country."



Agassi's status was good news for organisers here, who have the only ATP event opposite the second week of the Olympics. Washington will host the ATP players not in Athens just two weeks before next year's US Open.


Bureau Report