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| TENNIS MATCH September/October 1996 Sampras, Agassi, Chang, Courier: All Grown Up By Andrea Leand |
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Friendly rivals since their junior days, the American Gang of Four who have dominated pro tennis in the 90s are so alike -- and so different -- in so many ways. |
Ten years ago, Jim Courier and Michael Chang were already up at 6:30 a.m. Pete Sampras was still in bed and Andre Agassi did not attend the Junior Davis Cup training camp that year. In many ways, not much has changed since those four All-American teenagers competed and caroused together at junior tournaments or tennis academies. Courier and Chang still put in the grueling hours of practice to maintain their top ten rankings; Sampras rules the Tour with overwhelming talent; and Agassi remains the top attraction no matter if he shows up or not. But now, after a decade on the pro tour, the four merry men have ventured off in their own directions, protective of their individualism and private lives, but linked for life by their shared experiences. "My first recollection of Pete is that he was always late," recalls Courier about their Junior Davis Cup days. "He was late for running in the morning, late for practice. The only thing he seemed on time for was meals. After the rest of us had finished our drills on the track, Pete would appear with these swollen dark eyes and sleepy look, like he had just rolled out of bed. But it didn't matter if he missed all that stuff, because he had the talent and knew he didn't have to do the rest." What Sampras had in natural ability, Courier and Chang made up for with their determination. So nonchalant was Sampras about his training that many wondered if he had the passion to reach his potential. No one questioned whether Courier and Chang maxed out their assets -- Michael's speed, Jim's tenacity. But with Pete, it was another story. The pieces of the puzzle were all there, but in need of someone to put them together. "Jim and I probably had to work harder to succeed with what God gave us," explains Chang, the youngest of the four. "Pete and Andre never felt they needed to work as hard as we did. They'd hit for an hour a day and that was it, whereas Jim and I ground it out until the sun set. God gave me fast feet and a mind for tennis and I'm grateful for that." As a youngster, Agassi was grateful that his father allowed him to live at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. In contrast to his father's overbearing coaching, the flashy kid from Las Vegas could vent his feelings at Nick's in Florida, even if it did mean hitting tennis balls for hours on end. "I didn't have a first impression of Andre; I had one of his father," recalls Courier, who also trained at Bollettieri's at the time. "We were both playing a 14-and-under tournament, and Andre had reached the semifinals and won a trophy of some sort. All I remember was watching his father take the trophy from Andre and throw it in the trash. I couldn't believe it; I still can't believe it." Courier grew up in a close relationship with his parents. His mother certainly was an imposing presence in her son's tennis development, but she knew where to draw the line between parent and coach. She attended practices and matches and kept a keen eye on her oldest child's progress. Though they remain close, Courier's parents rarely accompany him nowadays to tournaments. Chang's mother, on the other hand, still serves a vital role in his career. She doesn't prepare his meals anymore, nor, as one peer described, "check to make sure Michael has on dry clothes after practice." But she and her husband are never far from their youngest son. In addition, Michael's older brother Carl travels fulltime on tour with him as his coach. "Pete was the only one with parents who didn't have a burning desire to get involved with the tennis," comments Nick Bollettieri, who's hosted each player at his acadeny at various times. "Pete's parents seemed content to let his coach Pete Fischer guide his tennis development. When Sampras and Fischer came to train at the academy every once in a while, we'd give them a court and they would do their own thing. Very low maintenance." Bollettieri's impressions of the young Agassi were that he was always in some sort of teenage turmoil. Even then Andre had spark, ability and charisma, says Nick, but he also carried a lot of emotional baggage. "Courier was never a problem," remarks Bollettieri, who coached both Agassi and Courier. "Let Jim play his drums after practice, and he was fine. But Andre was high maintenance. Had to be watched constantly, a 24-hour job. We went through all the stages: fighting, dying his hair, piercing his ear. All of it. The best thing Andre's father ever did was bring Andre to the academy, because as it was, they probably would have killed each other." Each of the four had different dreams as adolescents. Chang felt a higher calling with God. Agassi wanted to get away from his father. Courier, in his own words, "was just hoping to get what all boys want -- a girl," he laughs. And Sampras, well, he was the one who wanted to win Wimbledon. "Pete always thought big," the late Tim Gullikson said about his star pupil. "He never wanted to just win a gold ball at a national junior event. He wanted to win Grand Slams, and he wanted to be number one in the world," While Agassi and Courier battled for Bollettieri's attention at his Florida academy, Sampras flourished under Fischer's guidance. The pediatrian was able to instill in Sampras a stoic temperament, but he also brought him to top coaches, such as Robert Lansdorp, to learn the best techniques. "Pete went to Lansdorp for ground strokes and another guy for the serve, and then to Florida for competition and practice," recalls Chang, who grew up with Sampras in Southern California. "He certainly developed the most complete game of all of us. There is no shot he cannot hit. That's what separates him from the rest of us. By the time he got to the pros, he had it all." Sampras also had the tunnel-vision to capitalize on his talent. "I'd like to know what Pete is going to do once his career is over," muses Courier when asked what he would most like to ask his former doubles partner. "But if I had to spend 24 hours in a room with one of them, I'd choose Andre. Pete and Michael are so focused just on tennis, and they're happy with that. Andre and I have broadened our interests over the years and would have a lot to talk about." But would they talk about their rivalry at the Bollettieri Academy? A stinging memory for Courier occurred at the l989 French Open when Nick chose to sit in Agassi's guest box rather than Courier's for their fourth-round match (Courier won). Bollettieri was by then somewhat like a surrogate father to the two teenagers, and he had chosen which child he liked most. "That was one of the biggest mistakes I ever made," admits Bollettieri, who suffered a bitter split with Courier over the next year. "I never should have done that to Jim. It was wrong. I made a choice and went with Andre, but I wish I could take it back, It certainly affected their rivalry, motivated Jim a lot." "That's over," says Courier, who eventually hooked up with his current coach, Jose Hegueras. "I understand why Nick went with Andre. He was so flashy and so talented. Nick did a lot for me, and I have no bad feelings about him. I just moved on." The split coincided with Courier's rise to No. 1 in the world. He transformed himself from a matador to a bull on the court, a Rocky Balboa who could not be stopped. When he wasn't practicing in burning hot temperatures, he was lifting weights, sprinting or competing. His passion to improve equaled his determination to demolish his more stylish peers, to disprove all those who had underestimated his ability. "But there can be too much training," Courier now says. "It was getting a bit too obsessive. But at the time, I really liked doing it. I really got into the training, and it helped keep me positive and motivated about my tennis." Courier's success also woke up Sampras, the sleeping giant. Watching his close friend skyrocket up the rankings motivated the lanky right-hander. "There was no question that watching Jim become No. 1 got Pete into gear," says a close friend. "If Jim could do it, Pete certainly felt he could." When Gullikson teamed up with Sampras as his coach, Pete soon turned the Courier-Agassi rivalry into a three-pronged race for the top. The support they had given each other during their rookie days on tour now turned into a spirited competitiveness. Their paths crossed constantly as all three trained in Florida, preferred fast-court tournaments and were the toast of American tennis. Eventually they even were all endorsed by the same giant clothing company. Once Sampras and Agassi stepped it up a notch, however, Courier seemed to slip in the rankings. "Jim was getting beat but didn't know what to do," says one current player. "He couldn't work out any more than he did or take his game to another level." It soon became the Pete and Andre show in everything: Grand Slam finals, computer rankings and even Nike commercials. Courier, after taking two French and two Australian Open titles in two years, took to reading a book during a changeover at the l993 ATP Tour Championships and hasn't won a Slam since. He's now entered into a frustrating stage of his career, toiling backstage after playing the lead. "Of those four guys, I think that Jim is most similar to me," says John McEnroe. "We have the same temperament, very intense and able to explode at any moment." When asked what he would title hypothetical autobiography, Courier joked that he would call it "Is Anyone Really Going to Read This?" And while his former fellow junior Davis Cup teammates have continued to make progress on the court, Courier perhaps has found more satisfaction off it. He's played drums on stage with REM, learned to speak French fluently and, as Chang admits, "Jim has the best social life of any of us. He always has a girl." Ironicauy, though, Chang was the first of the Gang of Four to win a Grand Slam title. And interestingly enough, when all four were asked which will come first, another Grand Slam title or marriage, only Chang was convinced that he will win another Grand Slam title long before he gets married -- what with Agassi engaged to marry Brooke Shields and Sampras hanging steady with Delaina Mulcahey. "I'm not even close to being married," Chang laughs. But that's not the only thing that separates Michael from his long-time rivals. ln a recent article in GQ, Agassi takes quite a few pot shots at Chang, claiming Chang is copying everything he does, from style of play on down. Andre lifts weights to become stronger, so does Michael. Andre lives in Las Vegas, now so does Michael. (Actually in Henderson, Nev., on the other side of the strip.) "I don't understand all the terms Andre used in that article, but I don't mind," says Chang, "Andre is basically a good person. But I've had some wins over Andre in recent months, and so it is possible that he says these things because he considers me a threat on court." Indeed, Chang upset Agassi at the Australian Open this year and again at Indian Wells. While Agassi has struggled to regroup after losing the No. 1 ranking last year to Sampras, Chang plows ahead with his family and religious beliefs in tow. "I feel that I have a bigger calling than just playing tennis," Chang points out. "It's to carry the message of God and, in that way, help touch as many people as I can. I will always be involved with tennis after my career is over, but my real calling is to God." Agassi also calls his relationship with God the most important in his life, but once again he seems to be searching for answers and peace of mind on the court. Devastating upsets at the French Open and Wimbledon have him again questioning his commitment to the game, just as he did in '93 and '94 after a wrenching split with coach Nick Bollettieri (where have we heard that before?) and a severe wrist injury that threatened his career. Teaming up with coach Brad Gilbert turned Agassi around back then. So it's not unexpected that he is relying on those closest to him to help turn things around now. But nothing ever is simple for the game's most marketable player. "Everyone looks to Andre to 'save the game,'" explains Gilbert. "And that's a lot of additional responsibility on his shoulders." Indeed, while these four American stars have dominated the pro game in the '90s, winning 15 Grand Slam titles among them, nothing ever remains the same. Courier is still searching for the answers to regain his dominant position in the ranks. Agassi is trying to regroup on court even as star-studded nuptials loom on the horizon. Chang continues to improve his game, but he has yet to unlock the mystery of a winning a second Grand Slam crown. And Sampras, quietly intense in his quest for more Grand Slams and his place in history, still mourns the loss of his dear friend and coach. What does the future hold for these four young men who have grown up together, competed with and against each other for so long? It remains a mystery even to themselves. "I don't think in ten years or even twenty years that the four of us are going to be sitting in rocking chairs reminiscing about the good old days," smiles Courier. "But we will always have a connection. We will all go our different directions, but there will always be a bond, a bond that for good or bad will hold forever." |