It's a lonely sport: Agenor

By S. Dinakar

CHENNAI, JAN. 2. Ask him whether he ever had a good friend on the Tour, and Ronald Agenor shoots backs. ``That's a nice question. I never had a good friend. Tennis a lonely sport anyway.''

At 36, Agenor, a Haitian born in Morocco, is the oldest player on the circuit. And's he's still winning matches. Even after 17 long, eventful years. ``Today, there is nobody from my generation. That is the toughest part.''

The Hindu caught up with the old warrior, after he had won yet another battle, defeating Tomas Zib of the Czech Republic in a first round contest of the Gold Flake Open here on Tuesday.

What has kept him going for so long on this very demanding journey? `` I like the competition. I don't know what to do outside tennis. It keeps me going.''

There have been a lot of sacrifices along the way. ``Tennis has taught me a lot about life. There is happiness, there is sadness. You have to go through all the emotions.''

Agenor, who played in his first Tour event in 1983, when he was just 17 says candidly, ``The game took away my life as a teenager. I can never get those years back.''

His big eyes light up when he talks about his mind- boggling comeback, considering his age. Three years ago, he was 800, but the Haitian cracked the top hundred in 1999, and finished 2000 at 124. ``I myself don't know how I did it. For me it was the best experience in my whole life.''

The Haitian regrets the fact that he lacked discipline during his peak - he was ranked 22 in 1989. ``I would have been in the top five otherwise. At one time I didn't have the right people around me.''

Agenor believes he is a lot more professional these days, and attributes the change to girlfriend, Tonya, a model, with whom he lives in California.

He misses the camaraderie on the Tour during the 80s. ``There was more friendship between the players. The Players' Parties were nicer and we looked forward to them. Now it is just tennis all the time. We could appreciate life. Now they want friends only outside tennis. Probably that is good in a way.''

The depth in the Tour is greater now according to him. ``Today the top 250 players are good, earlier it was only the first 50.''

The biggest change as far the game is concerned has come in the forehand. ``Earlier, there were just four or five guys with big forehands. Lendl, Gomez, Kirkstien, Arias... and myself. Now 90 per cent of them have a huge forehand. I think they are returning better too. And physically they are stronger.''

He talks fondly about the players of his time. ``Lendl was like a machine. McEnroe was something else. Wilander was so focussed.'' No special remarks on the current stars.

As Agenor says, he has plenty of ``good and bad memories.'' He recalls with relish his victory over Wilander in Rome in '88, the Swede was ranked No. 1 then. And a defeat that continues to haunt him. ``Losing to Chang at the Roland Garros in '89.''

The veteran believes the game lacks personalities these days. Reason? There are no black players around. And the son of a former United Nations officer does not mince his words on the subject. `` There are no ATP tournaments in the black countries. Even in the U.S., they don't give wild cards to the blacks. They have no access. They don't have the money. Tennis is a costly sport. It is a sport for the bourgeois.''

Even as he finished the interview, Agenor queries an official about his opponent for the next game. Yes, the journey continues. Ask him and he would tell you, it is only the beginning.

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