2005 Pacific Life Open News
By Alix Ramsay  |  March 16, 2005

Poor old Taylor Dent. It seems he cannot do right for doing wrong. Just when he thinks he is on the up, something dire happens and he is kicked back down to where he started.

On Tuesday night he was on top of the world. He had just beaten Marat Safin, the Australian Open champion and the No. 4 seed, 7-5, 6-4. All right, Safin was not at his best and, in his own, humble opinion, he was probably at his worst. But Dent won. Working on the old philosophy of "you can only beat the man in front of you", he took one look at Safin and beat him.

Less than 24 hours later, he was struck down with a recurrence of a viral infection and had to withdraw after losing the first set 6-3 against Guillermo Canas. He had spent the night feeling as sick as a dog and, sent out to face the dogged and powerful Argentine, he had no fuel in the tank at the start and nothing left to give after half an hour.

"I've been battling this viral infection in my stomach since Sydney earlier this year," Dent said. "It flared up at 3AM. I've talked to the doctor and he's given me some antibiotics. I hope it's solved by Miami.

"It's absolutely disappointing coming off a big win against Safin. I didn't come in here with a lot of expectations but I felt I could win a few more matches here."

Dent played his part as well as he knew how. Only once when he got his first serve in did he drop the point, only once did he drop his serve, and three times he got the better of the Russian's serve. Admittedly Safin helped enormously in all of this, but it was still Dent who was sitting in the fourth round and not The Australian Open Champion when the day's business was concluded. And Dent could not be happier.

He is anything but the finished article yet, but Dent thinks he is making definite progress. Slowly he is beginning to understand how to deal with the ebb and flow of what happens on court and he is doing his level best to keep his confidence high during the tough stretches and his temper under control during the frustrating spells.

"I've just learned along the way," he said. "Part of that has been me not being mentally mature enough in the past. But I've learned how to compete a little better, leaned how to hold myself together."

It has not been easy for Dent to stay upbeat as his career has reached the occasional dizzy height - he has some famous scalps in his collection, adding Safin's to those of Roddick, Hewitt and Ferrero - and rather more confidence-sapping lows.

"I think it's easier some times than other," he said. "If you have a good couple of wins, you think "maybe it's coming around, maybe it's coming my way". If you get on a bad streak, you can't really see the light at the end of the tunnel.

"I think Vince Spadea is a perfect story. He set the record for the most first round losses on the tour. He just persevered, got back in the top 20 and might get higher. He's a perfect example. You just keep plugging away and good things happen."

By the sound of it, Andre Agassi has little intention of plugging away at the Davis Cup. He rattled through to the quarter finals, beating Guillermo Coria 6-4, 6-1 and was much happier with life than when he was on international duty in Carson City. Getting back on a court that allows him to play his game has clearly cheered Agassi up immensely. "I wish we could have played here," he said. "Seems like these conditions are perfect."

The slowness of the court coupled with the speed of Ivan Ljubicic did in Agassi on the opening day of the Davis Cup and it is an experience he does not wish to repeat. After months of pleading, coaxing and cajoling, Agassi finally agreed to play for Patrick McEnroe and promised that he would consider doing so again in the future.

More than a week after being dumped out of the world group in the first round, Agassi is still toeing the company line but he sounds less enthusiastic.

"The support of the team for when I can play or when I do play and when I don't is very much appreciated," he explained. "I certainly would look forward to being on the team again. But for me, making the decision to play any tournament or any event is sometimes a week-by-week basis. The way I felt end of last year and early this year already, I don't know when I can be at my best or not."

That sounds like Agassi's frightfully diplomatic way of telling McEnroe that he ain't playing ball come September in the world group play-offs.

/// BACK