2005 Australian Open - Day #9
By Alix Ramsay  |  January 25, 2005

"He just said he enjoyed playing against me and hopes that happens more. I said: That makes one of us." At least Andre Agassi still had a sense of humor after his 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 pummeling at the hands of Roger Federer. The old boy had done his best, better than he has done for some time, and yet he was still left trailing in Federer's wake as the Swiss reached the semi finals of the Australian Open.

Popular wisdom has it that the backhand is Federer's weaker side, but that is only when you compare it to Federer's forehand. And his forehand is both a thing of beauty and a weapon of mass destruction. Still, if it is a weakness, you might as well go for it and Agassi did just that. He did it to a band playing but still it did not do him any good.

"It's all about his ability to make a court a lot smaller," Agassi said. "Because he can cover so well to the forehand, it really allows him to sort of stay at home in the backhand corner. So that backhand corner gets smaller and smaller, sort of dares you to hit it to that forehand. There's a lot of times you do and you're thinking that's a good idea, then a second later you're going, "Why did I do that?"

For all that he had hurt his hip in the warm-up event in Kooyong, Agassi thought he was in good health as he tried to make his way into the last four. He had a plan, he made few mistakes - 11 fewer than Federer - but the Swiss simply would not let him pass. Whatever Agassi did, Federer was ahead of him. And when Federer was second guessed, he reacted so quickly to the danger that Agassi was left to look old and helpless.

Dropping his serve early in each set did not help matters but one key game in the first set wrapped up the match. Serving for the set at 5-3, Federer had to fend off three break points. Once he had saved them, the look on Agassi's face said it all - he had thrown everything he could find at the champion and the set had still escaped him. From there Agassi held one more break point - Federer saved it with an ace - and took his beating like a man.

When asked what advice he would offer to Marat Safin, the 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 winner over Dominik Hrbaty and Federer's next foe, Agassi was clear and precise. "I would suggest that his next opponents don't look to me for advice," he said. "That would be my advice."

Serena Williams eased, as she so often does, past Amelie Mauresmo 6-2, 6-2 and into the semifinals. Already holding an 8-1 lead over the Frenchwoman, she had little to worry about especially when Mauresmo pulled up lame after her previous match. With her thigh heavily taped, Mauresmo reckoned she was only playing at 50 percent and that left Williams with very little to do but put the ball in court and let Mauresmo do the rest.

After such a one-sided match, Williams's reaction to the victory did seem a little over the top. Certainly the Melbourne crowd - an informed bunch who like their heroes to sweat blood but behave in a sporting manner - were unimpressed with her exuberant finish and all that jumping up and down. The general consensus was that Williams failed to show due respect the injured Mauresmo.

The whole celebration routine appeared to have been carefully rehearsed. When Mauresmo came to serve to stay in the match, Williams should have been all over her like a rash but, instead, she played miserably to force the match towards one more change of ends. That was when it became clear that something was up.

With one photographer carefully placed by the television cameras, her little victory dance was directed entirely at his lens. Winning the match as quickly as possible on a blisteringly hot day was clearly not nearly as important as providing a snapper with a good photo opportunity.

That, however, was not all. With energy left to burn after her 71 minute workout, she turned her aggression on the press. Prompted by a relatively gentle inquiry, one which tried to ascertain whether a win here would stop the tittle-tattle about the decline of the Williams sisters, she let rip. Injury to her and Venus and the murder of her half-sister, Yetunde, had slowed both Williams sisters down, but they were still as good as ever.

"I don't appreciate that language, to be honest with you," she began. "I'm tired of not saying anything, but that's not fair. We've been practicing really hard. We've had some serious injuries. I've had surgery. And after surgery, I got to the finals of Wimbledon. I don't know too many people that have done that.

"And to top it off, we have a very, very, very, very, very close family. To be in the situation that we've been placed in in the past little over a year, it's not easy to come out and just perform at your best when you realize there are so many things that are so important.

"So, no, we're not declining. We're here. I don't have to win this tournament to prove anything. I know that I'm out here and I know that I'm one of the best players out here."

It would be a brave hack who tried to argue with that level of resentment.

Now she faces Maria Sharapova who, although no shrinking violet herself, must be concerned that Williams is in such a feisty frame of mind. Sharapova struggled through the stifling heat for three sets to overcome US Open Champ Svetlana Kuznetsova 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 and felt she had only enough left in the tank to get through that match. She has a 2-1 lead over Williams but the last time she won, Williams could barely serve due to a stomach muscle injury. She is feeling considerably better this time around so Sharapova had better beware.

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