Agassi closes door on Davis Cup play

Matthew Cronin

Andre Agassi, one of the greatest players in U.S. Davis Cup history, said on Tuesday that he will never play in the competition for his country again.

"Twelve years of playing and I'm proud of my commitment to Davis Cup and my record, which speak for my passion for it," said Agassi, whose 30 singles wins in Davis Cup place him second only to John McEnroe on the U.S. all-time list.

"It's time to give the younger guys a shot to play. I don't have the belief that I can give the same to it anymore," said the Australian Open champion after his first-round win at the Sybase Open.

"With all those factors, it's pretty clear that I won't be playing ever again," he said in what should come as a blow to new U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe.

Fellow American superstar Pete Sampras also recently said he does not see himself playing Davis Cup again.

"You never say never because you never know when I might consider it the right thing for my game or goals, but I don't see that happening."

The 30-year-old Agassi said he watched the United States lose in the first round to Switzerland earlier this month from his new home in San Francisco Bay Area.

"I was pulling the guys and feeling for them because I've had 12 years of the same emotions," Agassi said.

"I've been on many winning teams and losing ones. I have a strong appreciation for the anxiety and pressure of the situation. I enjoyed watching it from afar this time."

Agassi said he never felt like jumping out of his chair and getting on the first plane to Basel to help bail out the team.

"You don't know if you can pull it out," said Agassi, who won his third Australian Open title last month. "It seems easy if you have a great record and you've done it for so many years, but it's not. It requires dedication and focus.

"I don't know if coming off Australia what I would have had or not had. I thought our team had a good chance of winning."