European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 02, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 36 the stars and stripes sports Friday september 2,1994 is awaiting of life Picasso by John Eisenberg the Baltimore Sun it was a Tough moment for generation x when Andre Agassi got upset about the loud music. Or. Rock n Roll Tennis could t Han dle it a few weeks ago when promoters Ofa tournament tried to jazz up the crowd by playing Rock music during changeovers Agassi complained to the Umpire lost a match and whined about the noise sounding a lot like every Ward and june Cleaver who thought Elvis was the Devil Back in the 50s. We should have seen it Corning of course. First Agassi started hanging around with barbra Streisand who no doubt would rather listen to Perry Como than Pearl Jam. Then he started dating Brooke Shields the noted nonconformist. Next time you Check he a play a match wearing Tasse led loafers and a dark Blue tie with Little Green whales on it. Amazingly Agassi still does t see the irony of his outburst. He was still complaining about the music after his first round match at the . Open the other Day. What a Square. He never would have had to Deal with it of course if not for the fact that Tennis was in this gnawing period of self Analy Sis. A few months ago sports illustrated ran a Story asking the question is ten Nis dying that was too Strong As this week s run of record open crowds demonstrates. No it in t dying. But it does have the flu. It in t As interesting As twas in the 80s, when it was alive with character drama and really big jerks. So suddenly there is this great debate about what to do. Martina Navratilova has suggested going Back to wooden rackets bringing Back the lost Art of shot making. The men s tour is trying All sorts of peripheral ideas such As changeover music and giving fans a Chance to interview players after matches. Others suggest that crowds should get to make noise during Points like at a football game. Of All those Martina s strikes closest to the heart of the matter. Oversized rackets Are the worst thing that Ever Hap commentary opened to pro Tennis. Today s game is All Power. There is Little artistry. Too Many matches Don t tantalize you so much As numb you. An average Talent such As Jim courier can get to the top just clubbing the Ball harder than anyone else. Going Back to wooden rackets is a great idea. There is Only one thing wrong with it it la never happen. The manufacturers who support the game would never agree to halt Progress and profits. So As Roseanne Roseann Adanna said never mind. As for the music that ignited Agassi what s wrong with it every sport needs to keep changing to keep growing an Tennis in t going to get any More popular posing As Church in the Day Glo 90s. It s time for everyone to loosen up a Little. Let the players dress funkier. Let the fans Hoot and holler a Little. There is also Only one thing wrong with the idea it s pretty much beside the Point. All the music and baggy pants in the world won t cure what ails Tennis most. It needs characters. Players with personality. Players that make you want to watch. When you get to the Bottom of the question of what is wrong with Tennis you find personality the Lack of it. Jimbo and Johnny Mac had it. Chrissie and Billie Jean had it. Nastase had it. Borg had it even though he never so much As flinched on the court. They had presence an alluring Quality that sold tickets and Drew fans from outside the sport. You could love them. You could hate them. Either Way you wanted to know what happened to them. Where Are those players today Boris Becker was one but he s almost past tense at this Point clearly not that inter ested in playing anymore. Pete Sampras the world s Best player has a Beautiful game but who lives and. Dies with his wins and losses other than his parents courier Michael Chang too Bland. _ the women s game is in the same shape which is a sad Story. Monica Sele was the real thing a Star Quality player Monica Seles is too traumatized and Andre Agassi is too Lazy to save Tennis. A file 2 before she was stabbed on that court in Germany and apparently ruined. Seles had what today s players Don t. She had a dramatic Aura about her. She loved play ing the role of the slightly naughty diva. She was willingly going to play miss bad to Jennifer Capriati s miss Good. It would have been a classic rivalry. That is what Tennis lacks. That is what personalities bring to any sport. Rivalries. Passion. Thus the problem with men s Tennision t the regal Sampras he s a gentleman who respects the game. The problem is that the regal Sampras does t have a foil. No one has come along to play or. Bad to his or. Good. Agassi had the Nec Essary Talent and the show Biz instincts but he s too Lazy to become a Good enough player to Challenge Sampras and a Little too likable to be a foil. Arguing about Rock music is Fine but when Tennis finishes searching its soul and wrestling with what to do next it will find it self facing this conundrum it can t Manu facture what it needs most. It heeds More players that make you want to shout or clap or curse and you can t buy or build those. They re naturals. They just happen. You can t do anything except wait for them to show up. So we wait. 2 sure Steps to higher paying of skills from Mac e